


What's In A Name

by iknaq



Series: The Suits [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Music, Angst, Anxiety, BBW, Blood and Injury, Depression, Gen, Inspired by Music, Lactation, My First Fanfic, Other, POV Alternating, Voyeurism, plus size
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:56:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknaq/pseuds/iknaq
Summary: F!SS Quinn wakes up and tries to come to terms with her losses. Accepting the new normal of violence and trying to help those that she can. A mysterious guardian angel watching over her as she adjusts to life in the Commonwealth.Lots of character and story building.





	1. That I Live and You Are Gone

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in a long long time and this is my first fanfic, be gentle :P  
> To get us warmed up, one of my writing teachers used to always tell us to think of a story, a story that already exists. Would you change things about it? How would you add more detail? How would you make the characters come alive?  
> This is my take on my Female Sole Survivor's story. I tried to take from the events and dialogue of the game, but there is enough of story changes/character changes/dialogue change-rearrangement that I would consider it an alternate universe.  
> One thing that is a huge difference is music. In my universe, everyone is familiar with a lot of 'current' music and I reference it frequently, whether it is actually something people are singing or if it is just the music that popped in my head for that scene.  
> There are several original characters, many references to deep Fallout lore, mods mentioned, tie-ins to other Fallout's - I'll try to call it all out in the notes when I get into them and note what I am referencing.  
> Also some references to other fics that have inspired me on here. One major influence that we'll get into later.  
> There's going to be a bunch of angst, some slow burn, but I'll get into some fun fluff and smut later on. I'll update tags, as needed.  
> This is going to be a fairly long series, I already have plans for eleven-twelve works, each with multiple chapters. I'll try to update frequently and unless something catastrophic happens, I have full intentions of finishing the series out.  
> I've also tried to flush out the characters a bit more, it really bugged me how flat they felt sometimes (especially Preston and Danse), so I've tried to make them likeable characters.  
> I've also tried making things what I feel like would be a little more realistic. She just had a baby, she has to deal with hormones and her milk. She has to deal with grief and struggles with anxiety and depression. Things like the courser chip take more time for figure out, the teleporter takes time to build, things like that. It's going to be alternating perspective, mainly Sole, but a lot of the others depending on their part in the tale.  
> We'll get through the main game and then we'll deal with Far Harbor and Nuka-World before really veering off into original content.
> 
> Mods Referenced:  
> [Visible Galaxy 4K](https://bethesda.net/en/mods/fallout4/mod-detail/3014489)  
> [Dark Husky Dogmeat - Xbox One Edition](https://bethesda.net/en/mods/fallout4/mod-detail/1294784) [](https://bethesda.net/en/mods/fallout4/mod-detail/3014489)  
> 

She curled into a ball, lying on the platform, hands covering her ears, eyes shut tight. Her legs had given out partway up, the grinding of the gears seemed to echo in her head, and the light was blinding. It was too much.  
  
_Alone, again._  
  
(Radioactive - Within Temptation)  
  
There were no tears, she wondered if this is what would finally break her, she felt like all the emotions were going to make her head explode.  
She lay there on the platform until the sun warmed the metal uncomfortably. Slowly opening her eyes and lowering her hands, she rolled onto her back.  
  
_At least the sky is still blue._  
  
_Shaun._  
_I need to find Shaun._  
  
That was enough to rouse her again, as much as she just wanted to stay on that platform and fade away, she promised Nate. Steeling her spine and grabbed one of the boxes with the things she found in the vault, she took stock of her surroundings. Familiar and alien at the same time. It felt like looking at an old photograph - the colours faded to brown tones, scuffed and scratched and grainy. She had seen the date on the pip-boy but it was still hard to believe, she hoped that it was somehow wrong.  
There were some skeletons at the control booth, clothes tattered and bones bleached from the sun, any flesh long gone. One of them was probably the guard that had led them up from the gate. He had been young, too young for this. Sighing she gently moved the skeletons to the side with her foot and set the box down. Shuffling through the box a moment she found the box of bobby pins she had found and worked to open the first aid kit, her father's words playing through her head.  
  
_'Pumpkin, if something ever happens, you find everything you can. You set yourself up and then deal with everything else. You know how to take care of yourself, how to make things, we showed you.'_  
_I don't quite think this is what he meant, but hey, my misspent youth is paying off._  
  
After years of practice sneaking into places she shouldn't, the little lock on the box didn't stand a chance. She went around the trailers, checking all the boxes and lockers, picking up everything. Sighing she pulled her hair out of the bun to put it back up tighter. That had been one hell of a surprise when she saw her reflection in the bathroom mirror.  
  
-  
  
She fell on the rubberized mat face first. Her legs didn't want to work and she was so, so cold.  
  
_Nate...Shaun...oh, god._  
  
She scrambled over and made herself get up and open the pod. She could see the little crystals still clinging to his eyelashes. He was so handsome. Even now, even in death.  
  
_I never deserved you..._ 'I'll find who did this and I'll get Shaun back. I promise.'  
  
She pulled his gold band off and then her own, putting them on her necklace before tucking it back in her suit. A silver band tucked between the two gold. She cupped his cold cheek one more time.  
  
'Find Boff and wait for us, love.'  
  
She had stumbled around the vault trying to open all the pods before finding the bathroom, rushing to the sink. Her throat was raw from screaming, hoping that someone...anyone would answer. The power was still on in the vault and she hoped the water would be, as well. Her prayer was half answered when the trickle came out, no real pressure to speak of, but enough that she could wet her mouth and swallow a bit. She grimaced at the taste, thick and tasting heavily of minerals. She splashed a little on her face and looked up.  
She didn't mean to yelp.  
Her hair...her hair was bright white. She just stared at herself in the mirror for a few minutes before she started laughing...laughing and laughing till her side cramped. Eventually, the laughter died and she sat on the floor hiccuping.  
With a final snort, she stood and went back to her searching. Clearing the vault room by room, tossing anything and everything into some boxes she found.  
  
-  
  
In then end she had about six boxes of random junk, some boxed food, some of the odd bug meat from the giant cockroaches, extra vault suits, a 10mm and some ammo, two security batons, something called the Cryolator, Red Menace, and a Pip-boy. If she needed to she would come back and start breaking things down in the vault. She stashed the junk and the extra suits in one of the trailers, putting the food, ammo, and game in a security duffle bag she found. She cinched the bag tight so it didn't bounce around and kept the gun in the front pocket, but went with the security batons. She was rusty, but the weight of them was familiar in her hands and who knows when she might find more ammo.  
She guessed it was just after noon from the angle of the sun, with a huff she started down the hill.  
  
(Life In Her Yet - Rag'n'Bone Man)  
  
_Better do this now, in case I need to come back before dark._  
  
She paused at the gate and knelt down, taking one of the bony hands into her own. These were her neighbours, her friends. With a soft sigh, she made a mental note to come back after she found a shovel and bury the poor souls and those in the vault. There, on the slope, if she could manage.  
  
_That way they can overlook home._  
  
She paused at the creek and knelt down, holding her arm with the pip-boy out and grunted. She really didn't want to hear the clicks coming from the device. She had found two tins of purified water, but that was it and she was already itching to drink one. She wasn't sure if it was a result of the bombs or it was just a fluke, but it was ridiculously warm for the end of October. It was probably already in the low 80's and the vault suit was clinging tight to her rounded form.  
  
_'Hey Chunk, what's shakin?'_  
_No, no, no...NO! Don't think about that now. Need to find some more water, need to see if there is anyone else, need to look for clues to find Shaun._  
_Oh, god....please let my baby be safe. I can't....I can't even think about it. Shaun is fine. I will find Shaun._  
  
With a soft growl, she shook her head out of the clouds and stopped dragging ass, making for home first. Then, then she'd clear the houses one by one, start at the bridge and work down one side and up the other.  
She paused for a second at the noise and then squeaked when she saw him, running towards the house, running for the robot floating in front of it. Leaning forward, hugging his torso carefully, making his arms flail.  
  
'It's...it's REALLY you!'  
  
Turns out, the pip-boy wasn't wrong. Over 200 years...it's a wonder there was anything left here at all. After they talked and searched the houses at Codsworth's request, she finally broke down and opened one of the waters. She found one of Nate's tatty undershirts that had somehow survived in the house and put that on. She didn't care how dusty it was, she needed to cool off. Peeling the suit down and tying it around her waist, pulling the undershirt on.  
She looked around the bedroom and hummed a song to keep the voice in her head quiet, poking through the drawers and gathering whatever she could. She had to stay detached, otherwise, it would be too much. Walking into Shaun's room...she couldn't do it, she stood by the crib and tried to spin the broken mobile and that was it. Just a few tears spilt, but it was a crack in the dam she had built up.  
  
'Mum, here is another water...Oh, I'm sorry mum. You'll find young Shaun, I know you will.'  
  
Codsworth floated into the room and handed her the fresh tin. She desperately wanted it, but she just held onto it instead. She took a few deep breaths and tried to distance herself again.  
  
'I nearly forgot! I have this, I think Sir meant to give it to you, before....before everything happened.'  
  
She took the holodisk, the letters nearly faded away - **Hi honey!** Taking another deep breath, not sure if she wanted to hear. Codsworth floated back into the living room, giving a measure of privacy, so she went ahead and popped it in the pip-boy.

 _'Oops, haha. Keep those little fingers away... Ah, there we go. Just say it, right there, right there, go ahead. Ah, yay! Hi honey, listen...I don't think Shaun and I need to tell you how great of a mother you are. But, we're going to anyway. You are kind and loving, and funny, that's right and patient. So patient, the patience of a saint as your mother used to say. Look, with Shaun and us all being home together it's been an amazing year but even so, I know our best days are yet to come. There will be changes sure, things we'll need to adjust to. I'll rejoin the civilian workforce, you'll shake the dust off your law degree. But everything we do no matter how hard, we do it for our family. Now say goodbye Shaun. Bye bye, say bye bye. Bye honey, we love you.'_  
  
The tears came then, came hard and fast and hot, burning as they ran down her cheeks. She tried, she tried to stay together, she had to survive and find Shaun...but first, just for a moment, she let herself fall to pieces. Curled on the floor by the crib, hugging a ratty teddy bear, and sobbing till she fell asleep. Dead to the world.  
  
-  
  
When she woke it was darker outside, just at the end of dusk. She groaned as she stretched out, joints popping softly. There was a threadbare blanket on her and at some point, the poor teddy became her makeshift pillow.  
  
'Codsworth?'  
  
'There you are mum, you were a bit worse for wear and didn't answer when I called for you, so I just fetched a blanket and let you rest.'  
  
'Yes, thank you, dear. I do feel a little bit better.'  
  
And then her stomach decided to protest loudly.  
  
'Oh, dear sounds like someone needs a meal. If you give me a bit I can find something for you!'  
  
'Hmm, there are some cans in the duffle, would you be a dear and warm some beans? Hopefully, they survived the end of the world.'  
  
'Oh, yes mum. Right away!'  
  
Codsworth floated off, downright chipper now that he had his mistress to serve again.  
She used the old dresser to pull herself up, gently setting the bear in the crib and hugging the blanket to her chest.  
  
_I'll find you._  
  
She had to turn the pip-boy light on as the shadows claimed the house, shuffling to the kitchen, blanket trailing behind like a well-worn lovie. She set it on the back of the couch and stepped out to the stoop, the corner of her mouth quirked to one side. She turned the light off and let out a small gasp.  
The stars were so bright, the brightest she'd ever seen. With no light pollution in the little suburb, every star and planet stood out. The Milky Way a creamy ribbon across the sky. She was pretty sure she even saw the blip blip of a satellite cruising across the horizon.  
Flipping the light back on she went around the house and found a rusty, but intact, lawn chair. Dragging it to the front and turning the light off, she sat and basked in the starlight.  
  
_'Your eyes shine like stars, Chunk, did anyone ever tell you that?'_  
_Huff. 'DON'T call me that.'_  
_You could hear the smirk in his voice, 'Oh, yes my liege.'_  
  
She had always been one for singing...no matter the circumstance, words just seemed to pop in her head. Not always the best at times, but right now it offered a small sense of familiarity. Singing out to the stars.  
  
(My Moon - Mary Lambert)  
  
  
She was grateful when Codsworth came out with a chipped bowl full of beans, pulling her from the past. The pip-boy clicked once softly in protest, but it wasn't as loud as when she handled the bug meat, not even sure if it was edible or if she could bring herself to eat it yet. Opening another can of water she tucked into the beans, foot tapping as the robot hummed, the name of the tune escaping her. At some point after they had gotten Codsworth, her constant singing and humming had rubbed off on him somehow and he would often join in with her. She pointed down the street with the spoon, mumbling around a mouthful of beans,  
  
'I guess we should start clearing houses tomorrow and get set up here. Do you think you can clear the collapsed houses for materials?'  
  
'Yes, mum. I cleared one in the cul-de-sac years ago, but never got to the others. It didn't seem to matter after a while.'  
  
The robot sounded a bit melancholy again, but continued on quickly,

'I think you should head down to Concord, mum, there are people there.'  
  
She finished off the beans quickly and took another swig of water before speaking again. Capping the water, mindful of conserving when possible.  
  
'People? How were they?'  
  
'Well, quite rude really. But they only shot at me a few times...'  
  
She stopped with the questions because Codsworth sounded downright indignant, lost in her thoughts momentarily, deciding the best course of action.  
  
'Okay, well then. I guess I shall head to Concord in the morning and you can get started clearing. The workshop across still looks in working order, so we can put the materials at Mrs Rosa's house for now. Then once I'm back I'll go through the standing houses and see what we find.'  
  
She rose and wandered back inside with a yawn. Apparently sleeping for 200+ years and a nap weren't enough to beat back the exhaustion. Setting the bowl on the kitchen counter, she paused a moment, wondering how they would clean things. The bed in her old room was broken and partially collapsed, so instead she took the couch cushions outside and gave them a quick shakedown, beating some of the dust out.  
Getting ready to lie down, she grumbled softly as she realised the front of her shirt was wet and she suddenly had to pee. Dashing to the bathroom she quickly relieved herself and even found a few washcloths in the cabinet. After using her hands to try help relieve some of the pressure, she folded to washcloths up and placed them over her breasts.  
She was still breastfeeding Shaun before they were frozen and now her chest protested the lack of attention.  
With a soft sigh, she lay down, eyes already at half mast, pulling the blanket around herself.  
  
'Codsworth, honey, please wake me around eight so I can get ready and head out.'  
  
She was asleep before she could hear his answer, drifting off into vivid dreams of the past. The memories fighting for her attention, overlapping in her mind, despite the gaps between the events.  
  
-  
  
_'I want you to have this Chunk...Audra...' chuckling softly as he corrected himself, the silver band, warm from being in his pocket as he slipped it on her finger. 'It's a promise, I'll be back for you.'_  
_Her cheeks burning as he leaned in, brushing the softest of kisses on her lips, her fingers curling in his ginger hair._  
  
_He stuttered softly, so unlike his usual demeanour, she caught his big hand for support 'I know it's not...n..not the same, but I love you and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Do you think you could put up with me?'_  
_She cupped his cheek, the stubble tickling her hand as she looked deep into his bright blue eyes and put her forehead to his._  
_'Yes, forever.'_  
  
_Their bodies laid side by side in the snow, only distinguishable by their hair. The white snow turning red as the blood began to pool between them._  
_She could hear her own sobs, harsh and broken, clutching the telegraph tight in her fist as she beat the ground._  
  
_She jerked out of her stupor as a babies cry rang out, echoing in the halls. She dragged herself up off the floor and started running. Running and running, lost in a maze of a vault. The halls seemed endless. Each time she thought she was getting closer to the cries, they would change direction, distant and desperate for attention._  
  
-  
  
'Mum...mum, it's time to get up.'  
  
'Ugh, okay Codsworth, thank you.'  
  
She could feel the tears drying on her cheeks as the dream started to fade away, leaving her with an increased sense of loneliness. Rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, she rolled over to stare up at the ceiling.  
  
_Good thing it wasn't raining. Need to patch that hole._  
  
She lay there for several more minutes, making a mental checklist. She hoped she'd be able to find a notebook, that'd make keeping track of things easier. She liked lists, organisation, they helped ground her whenever the anxiety kicked in and made her think she couldn't do anything.  
  
_I doubt they'll have my medication anymore. Should check the Super Duper Mart just to be sure._  
_Okay, on the docket today, we have:_  
_Go to Concord and find people_  
_Look for food and clean water or parts for a water pump_  
_Look for a notebook and some pens or pencils_  
_Return from Concord and scavenge what I can from the remaining houses_  
  
With a plan in mind, she slowly sat up and braced herself to face the day. Grunting slightly when she realised how hard and full her breasts were.  
  
_Add looking for a hand pump to the list of things to find. Now there's something they never talked about or prepped me for in an emergency._ She snorted, trying to picture her father talking to her about breast pumps. _Ah, they're men, they couldn't have known._ Then frowned when she thought of other 'feminine problems'. _Better keep an eye out for some of that too._  
  
She got up to relieve herself and used her hands to express what she could into the sink. The washcloths from last night were wet, so she had to find some more scraps of cloth to use, eventually ripping up another of Nate's old undershirts. Her clothes that had been in the closet were long since lost, but Nate's clothes in the drawers seemed somewhat intact.  
  
_If I can't find a pump I need to find something to bind my chest to stop the milk. And need to figure out how to get water to flush the toilet or dig a latrine._  
  
Blinking away the sudden tears at the thought of not being able to feed her son, she finished in the bathroom. Wandering back out to the kitchen to figure out something to eat. In the end, she settled for a couple handfuls of dry Sugar Bombs and a few sips of water.  
  
_My kingdom for a cup of coffee. The quote popped in her head and she had to chuckle a little, 'I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.' (T. S. Eliot)_  
  
She poked her head outside and saw Codsworth down the street a bit, already breaking down what used to be the Able's house. So she went back inside and prepped for the day. Into the duffle went a box of snack cakes in case she got hungry, the remaining sealed water, and one of the security batons. She'd carry the gun this time, just in case the people in Concord were less than friendly like they had been with Codsworth. She checked her suit for any damage and made sure her boots were snug. Then with a sigh, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, slung the duffle bag on, checked her gun, and stepped out to face the day.  
  
(Never Give Up - Sia)  
  
_Need to find some new clothes and a hat._  
_The vault suit is in fine shape, but I feel like a damn sausage stuffed in the casing. Maybe a hat so I don't burn too much._  
  
She wandered over to where Codsworth was working and flagged him down.  
  
'Okay, I'm heading to Concord, I'll be back before dark. Clear as much as you can and I'll deal with salvaging the rest later.'  
  
'Oh, do be careful mum. You've only just come back...and well, I've always considered you family.'  
  
'You are my family Codsworth, I promise I'll be careful.'  
  
-  
  
She had just made it across the bridge when she saw the bodies, some kind of...dog and a man.  
The dog looked like it was skinned, but it wasn't really...it had no fur and it was a vicious looking thing, looked like it died from injuries due to the sharpened crowbar stuck through it. She yanked the crowbar out, testing the weight in her hand. Setting it to the side for a moment, she looked at the man. He was dirty, malnourished looking, and it was hard to determine an age. The dog must have really ripped into him before he was able to kill it, the blood was dried and flaking on his leathers.  
Sighing she grabbed the dog carcass first, pulling it off to the side of the road, followed by the body. If she was able to tolerate it, she'd strip him on the way back. Spotting a duffle up by the old Minuteman statue she tossed the crowbar up by it, leaving that for the way back, as well.  
She brushed her hands off on a patch of dry grass, standing and taking a few steps when she heard a dog. Readying the pistol she scanned the area when she saw the pup.  
This one did not resemble the dead dog at all, instead, it seemed to be a relatively healthy looking husky, trotting over with a wagging tail.  
  
'Hey boy. What are you doing out here all by yourself? You lose your owner, buddy?'  
  
The dog headbutted her palm and she knew that was it, she was a sucker for animals, as long as they weren't trying to eat her.  
  
'Okay then, let's stick together.'  
  
She gave the dog a few commands and he seemed to understand and be well trained. Barking to get her attention, he even pointed out another box lying on the ground, so she could grab the contents.  
  
'Hello?'  
  
She didn't receive an answer and the pup didn't seem to be in any distress, so she jerked her head towards the road with a little grin. Her last dog had run out and gotten lost before the bombs dropped and she had been upset for days, he was another member of their little family.  
She chased after the dog, jogging down the road since he seemed very eager to get to Concord.  
  
(Howlin' For You - The Black Keys)  
  
-  
  
_Well. FUCK._  
  
She'd rather take on another giant creepy mosquito then be here right now.  
  
After dispatching the giant bloodsuckers, dog had run down the street quickly and she laughed a little as she followed, not paying enough attention.  
She nearly ran smack dab into some man that looked high as hell, wearing a mish mosh of different leather armour pieces and yelling out for his friends once he saw her. She backpedalled into the old pharmacy as chunks of the old brick went flying kicking up dust in front of her, making it hard to see out the door, so after a quick scan, she darted up the stairs.  
Luckily there was an ammo box hanging out and she crouched down against the broken wall, firing at the men she could see. She could hear the dog growl and one of the assholes scream in return, so she risked ducking her head out to see what was going on.  
Down the street a bit, the dog had gotten a hold of one of their legs, clamped down tight and worrying it. The dog kept him off balance enough that he wasn't able to shoot the pup, but she gave a little-worried whimper. She raised the pistol, eye down the sight as she took a breath and slowly released it as she squeezed the trigger, just like Nate had taught her to do.  
Dog dropped the man after he stopped moving, the bullet successfully catching him in the face and ending that worry.  
  
_Thank God, I remember what they taught me._  
  
Confidence bolstered she dropped the guy on the balcony across from her, while dog took out the other man.  
  
_Ooooohhh. Ouch. Good pup._  
  
She could hear more men down the street so she ducked back down the stairs and peeked out the doorway. Started as she saw some red flashes coming from the museum. It looked like there were another three at the end of the street, plus whoever the hell was up on the balcony firing at them.  
The man on the balcony called out to her as they finished with the men outside.  
She grabbed the gun he pointed out but wasn't quite sure how to fire it. She slung it over her shoulder and checked her ammo. She was almost out of ammo for the 10mm. She quickly ran over to where a couple of the bodies were and grabbed their crude guns and all the ammo she could find.  
Letting out an ear-splitting whistle, she took a few deep breaths and tried to calm her shaking arms before busting in with dog right behind her.  
  
She could hear them beating on the door above her. She ran forward only to find the gate locked, so she ran down the hall to her right. Taking out one before reaching the stairs and then bounding up, quickly dispatching anyone in her path.  
  
_'If you have to shoot, just stay cool. Make sure you know what you are shooting at and you take care of it. You can do it and if you have to, you can break down later.'_  
_'Do you remember them, the ones you've killed?'_  
_'As much as I want to say yes, no, I don't. At least not all of them. I remember my first...but after a while, they started blurring together.'_  
  
She finished off the rest of the raiders and the man from the balcony opened the door for her.  
  
'Man, I don't know who you are, but your timing's impeccable. Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen.'  
  
'Quinn...you can call me Quinn.'


	2. Finding Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn encounters the survivors from Quincy and does what she can to help them. Finding friends in Preston and Sturges and some guidance from Mama Murphy.  
> The guys help her bury the bodies from Vault 111 and in return Quinn agrees to help the Minutemen.

When Preston first saw the person down the street, he didn't really know what to expect. All he saw were flashes of a blue vault suit and some white hair.  
  
_There must be a vault somewhere nearby, I wonder if they've been there long._  
  
He was certain it was a woman, judging from the shape, and she didn't have any of the hardness that the Commonwealth seemed carve people from.  
  
When she cleared her way down the street and through the building efficiently, he was a bit surprised because clearly she had some skill, but when he opened the door and introduced himself SHE was not at all what he was expecting.  
  
'Quinn...you can call me Quinn.'  
  
Her voice was soft and smooth, all whisky and smoke. Despite the white hair, she appeared to be quite young, and her hand was visibly shaking from the adrenaline. Preston couldn't help but stare a little as he told her of their plight and the plan Sturges had come up with. He almost stopped Sturges, this...girl, woman...was all soft curves and was obviously new to the surface judging from some of her questions. She didn't even know what ghouls were. How could he ask her to go after the power armour and help them? But her eyes were a determined warm brown and she agreed to help.  
  
Quinn made quick work of the terminal, she seemed even more at ease with it than Sturges did. After getting the fusion core from downstairs, she made her way back, pausing when Mama Murphy started speaking to her, talking about something coming.  
Oof. He hoped Mama Murphy wouldn't scare her off, but she looked as resolute as ever and when Dogmeat came padding in and snuggled up to the vault dweller he arched an eyebrow.  
  
'So that's his name, good to know. Thank you, Mama Murphy. Dogmeat, stay.'  
  
The dog whined a little but sat down next to Mama Murphy as she patted his head. Quinn started to open her mouth to the Long's, but Marcy made some snide comment, so she just walked by.  
Stopping briefly and picking up the little bobblehead on the desk, tapping its head with a little-crooked grin, tucking it in her satchel.  
He could hear her making her way to the door to the roof so he stepped back onto the balcony in time to see more raiders advancing once again.  
  
_Please, let this plan work._  
  
(The Fight Song - Marilyn Manson)  
  
He started taking shots at the raiders when he heard the hiss of the power suit opening. With a little grunt, he heard Quinn getting into the suit and then the heavy thumps as she made her way across the roof. He could hear when the minigun was detached and waited to hear the sound of it spinning up...  
But it didn't come.  
The next thing he see's is her jumping off the roof to the ground below and power charging the nearest raider, knocking him to the ground and silencing him with a boot to the chest. One of the raiders decided to try charge her, shooting wildly, getting knocked back hard when the butt of the minigun came crashing down on his head. More raiders began to charge down the street and Preston snapped out of it and started firing and he could see Quinn planting herself in the middle of the street, the minigun spinning up.  
The raiders also realised what was about to happen and turned and ran back down the street yelling, Quinn slowly advancing as the gun began to fire.  
However, both of them stopped shooting when the loud pounding started, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. The raiders at the end of the street were scattering like radroaches when a panel on the ground went flying up and Preston saw what was coming.  
  
'DEATHCLAWWWW, FIRE QUINN!!'  
  
'WHAT IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK?!?'  
  
The minigun began to spin up again as the deathclaw made quick work of the raiders, before turning to face Quinn. Preston didn't know what she was thinking or if she even realized how much danger she was in, but she held her ground emptying the remainder of the minigun ammo into the approaching beast. It slowed down slightly and he could see where it had begun to bleed, but then it let out a roar and he knew she had just made it angrier and more dangerous.  
  
'Run, Quinn! Get out of there!'  
  
But she didn't move fast enough and he could only watch as the deathclaw threw the woman in the power armour around as if she were a toy. He fired at the beast, yelling and trying to distract it. It glanced at him briefly and Preston hoped that would be enough time for her to retreat a bit.  
He almost yelled at her when the damn woman didn't start running. Instead she straightened herself and grabbed a downed lamppost that was nearby and with a scream that would have probably sent a super mutant running, began beating the deathclaw with the lamppost. Beating. A. Deathclaw. With a lamppost. He almost called Sturges out to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.  
Screaming all sorts of nonsense that he did not understand, he frowned and wondered if she had shot up with some Psycho or something. He was not a fan of chems, but if that was the case they were damn effective right now.  
  
'God. Damn. Godzilla. YOU JUST FUCKING DIE YOU STUPID LIZARD! I did not fucking wake up to join the land of the lost.'  
  
Preston did end up opening the doors and motioning for Sturges to come over and they watched as the young woman used the lamppost like a bat, beating until the deathclaw was well and dead and the head was pretty much non-existent.  
  
'Damn, remind me to never piss that lady off. Let's head downstairs.' Sturges slapped him on the shoulder and went to gather the others.  
  
Preston shook his head, watched as she dropped the lamppost and stood over the body, he swore he heard her say, 'So there', before kicking it and heading back to the museum. He closed the door and wondered what the hell to say to the woman downstairs.  
  
-  
  
Quinn got out of the suit with a little groan, pretty sure she may have a broken rib or two when the thing threw her. But she was happy to see everyone downstairs and okay, Preston fussing over Mama Murphy.  
  
'That was...a pretty amazing display. I'm just glad you're on our side.'  
  
'What the hell was that?'  
  
Preston looked at her oddly, but answered, 'That was a deathclaw, most people don't face one and live. Did you take some psycho or something? I've never seen anyone take one on like that?'  
  
'What's psycho?' Quinn was genuinely confused. First, a thing called a deathclaw, then something called psycho, as much as she was holding it together she could feel the pain and the day wearing her down.  
  
'Hoo, boy. You really aren't from around here, are you? It's a chem, it makes you all crazy and rage filled and strong.' Sturges chipped in, looking over. 'When we saw you...ahem, taking care of the deathclaw, you looked pretty worked up.'  
  
'Oh, um, no...I'm not in the habit of taking strange drugs. Are you guys going to be okay now?'  
  
'Yeah. For a while, anyway. We can at least move someplace safer. You should come with us to Sanctuary. We could use the help.' Preston looked at her expectantly.  
  
She gave a little nod, 'That's actually where I came from. It's just me, well me and Codsworth, my Mr Handy.'  
  
Sturges looked very excited, 'You have a working Mr Handy?'  
  
Preston laughed and looked at Quinn, 'Sturges loves all things mechanical.'  
  
Mama Murphy smiled up at her, 'Oh, that's wonderful. But there's more to your destiny, isn't there? I've seen it. And I know your pain.'  
  
Quinn looked at her, apparently unable to hide the skepticism on her face. Looking at the clothing, she realized they weren't just those of an eccentric old woman, but that she was dressed like an old fortune teller. She was about to say something, but Mama Murphy went on and it made her stomach drop.  
  
'You're a woman out of time. Out of hope. But all is not lost. I can feel..your son's energy. He's alive.  
  
'Where is my son? Where is Shaun?' Chest tightening, finding it even harder to breathe.  
  
'Oh, I wish I knew, kid. I really do. But it's not like I can see your son. I can just...feel his life force, his energy. He's out there. And I feel others, ones you will find in your search. Four new kings and your court. One of old.'  
  
Quinn gasped and walked away, the pain in her ribs too much, the hope and the fear. Stepping into the hall, forehead pressing to the brick. She heard a movement, looking up expecting to see Preston, but finding Sturges instead.  
  
'Aww, shucks. I knew you had it in you. I knew it. We owe you new gal. You saved us. I know it sounds crazy, but she's been right about things before.' He came over, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. 'Are you okay? I saw you gripping your ribs a bit back there, I'm better with machines, but I can help you with some stimpacks if you have them?'  
  
Quinn nodded and pulled a couple out of her bag, handing them to Sturges, wincing at the movement.  
  
'Where is it hurting the most? Um, can you uh...open the suit or should I do it through the fabric?' The tips of his ears turned a bit pink.  
  
She laughed a little, but stopped and gasped in pain, 'If you don't mind seeing a little skin, I'd rather not tear up the suit until I can get some more clothing.'

Pulling the zipper down a little, but waiting for his red-faced confirmation. She pulled the suit down to her waist and lifted the undershirt. The bruises already blooming across her left side, all purples and blues.  
  
He frowned and lost his embarrassment as he saw the bruises and focused on his task at hand.

'Hold on to my shoulder. I'm going to get the top of your ribs first, but I'm going to have to push it firm.'  
  
Quinn grabbed his shoulder, holding tight so that when he pushed she wouldn't fall back. She could hear his soft 'One, Two, Three.' and groaned as he shoved the needle into her side.  
  
'Okay, we'll let that one work a moment, then see if we need the second. Have you used stimpacks before?' He held her arm, just in case she went weak.  
  
'Yes, but I've never had to administer them myself.'

She took a slightly deeper breath, testing, happy when it did not hurt nearly as much.  
  
'If you ever have to, start with one, if it still needs healing then go on the opposite side of the first - up and down, side to side. But if you need four, you're going to know it and probably need help anyways. Try not to get to four, okay? My old man taught me that duct tape could fix anything. I don't think he was talking about bullet holes.' He motioned to her side. 'You look like you're breathing better now, let's take a look and see if you need the other one.'  
  
Quinn lifted her shirt and looked down, the purples and blues having faded to yellows and greens. She pressed on it gently and when she didn't feel any agonising pain, she figured that would be good enough for now. 'Thank you so much, Sturges. I suppose we should get this show on the road.'  
  
He nodded, heading back to the entrance, 'I'll get them ready, if you have something in there, you should eat and drink. You need to keep up your strength.'  
  
She chuckled softly and got herself all zipped back up and took the time to eat a snack cake and have some water before heading back out.  
  
Mama Murphy was trying to convince them to give her more chems to fuel the sight with that Marcy making snarky comments about her being stoned out of her gourd. Quinn let Preston and Sturges handle it while she got back in the power armour. Turning to the group and giving a whistle for Dogmeat, Quinn stepped out of the museum.  
  
(Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz)  
  
Quinn stripped down what she could from the raiders, stuffing as much as she could into her bag and grabbing one of theirs and stuffing that full, as well. Picking up the empty minigun, figuring she could hang onto it in case she found more ammo. Preston took a moment to stop and cut meat from the deathclaw, talking deathclaw steaks for dinner.  
  
The walked at a slow pace for the Long's and Mama Murphy, Quinn hoping Codsworth wasn't too worried, it was just starting to get dark and she had promised to be back before then.  
Quinn told them about Codsworth and how he was clearing the broken houses, promising that when they got back she would get beds for everyone tonight and then finish clearing the houses and setting things up tomorrow.  
She let them know where her home was and that the home with the workbench was being used to store the building materials for now.  
Mama Murphy told her about Diamond City, staying how that she knew she needed to go there and to follow the signs to the bright heart, but that the rest wasn't clear. Quinn saw how tired she looked and had to side with Preston on this.  
  
'The Sight isn't worth killing yourself over, Mama Murphy. It doesn't have to define what you are, or what you can give.'  
  
'All right, kid. You got me. If me hanging around for a little longer is worth that much to ya, then I'll go clean. No more chems. No more Sight.'  
  
Preston and Sturges shot her grateful smiles.  
  
Everyone chuckled a little when they passed the Red Rocket and Sturges wanted to stop there.  
  
'We can get it set up later, okay?' Quinn said as she took off the helmet of the power armour, happy to be close to home.  
  
Dogmeat went running into Sanctuary, signalling their arrival, and she could see Codsworth coming down the street. Yelling out to him, 'Codsworth, I'm home and I brought friends!'  
  
'Oh, thank goodness mum, I was starting to worry.'  
  
'I'm sorry, Codsworth. We had to deal with the people I am guessing were the ones that drove you off last time. Can you get a fire going and help Mr Garvey here get the meat cooking and whatever water we can scrounge up? And I think Mr Sturges here would like to check you over.' Quinn gave a little grin to them and waved them on, turning to the Long's and Mama Murphy, 'If you want to go sit in my house and relax until the food is ready, I'm going to take a look in some of the houses and see what I can find for bedding.'  
She waved them on and turned to the first house. It was hard to squeeze in with the power armour, but she figured it would make carrying any beds a lot easier. Six houses later she found enough beds for everyone, including herself, and some more food and water. There were some other items that she wanted to get, but she figured those could wait till the morning.  
Quinn set them up in the empty house next door to hers and cleared the broken bed from her room and set up the new one. Parking the suit in the carport, she tossed the fusion core in a kitchen drawer and tossed the bags on the floor. Then went to deal with her stupid chest, grumbling the whole time. Once she didn't feel like she was going to spontaneously burst and embarrass herself, she went to join the others.  
  
Deathclaw was surprisingly tasty, but she wasn't sure if it was worth the effort, they also had this thing called mutfruit that was good. Kinda like if an apple and a blueberry had a baby. Preston cooked the bug meat she had, but she wasn't up to trying that quite yet and gave it to Dogmeat for dinner instead. Quinn wondered if she would recognise any of the food in this new world that wasn't over 200 years old and somehow still preserved.  
Mama Murphy went to bed early, soon followed by the Long's. Sturges pulled out a bottle of something called Bobrov's Best Moonshine and shared a drink with Quinn and Preston. They chuckled as she coughed until her eyes were watering.  
  
'Sorry, Quinn. It has a bit of a kick. I still can't believe you took that thing out today.' Sturges shook his head and offered the bottle to them again.  
  
Preston shook his head and said that the would walk the perimeter and keep an eye out.  
  
'If you get tired, Sir. I am more than happy to stand guard.' Codsworth offered, joining Preston when he gave him a wave.  
  
Quinn took a much smaller sip this time, scooting her chair closer to the fire that they had set up in the road, Sturges did the same, holding his hands out to warm them as they talked about what they needed to get done tomorrow. She wished once again that she had some paper to make a list.  
The heat made her warm and sleepy and then she felt Sturges shaking her shoulder lightly.  
  
'You should catch some sleep. I'm going to put the fire out and check on Preston.'  
  
She mumbled her assent and wandered inside, taking care of bathroom duties again and then collapsing on the bed. It was musty and a little bit lumpy, but it was still moderately better than sleeping on the couch. And just the fact that it was in her room, put her a bit more at ease. The moonshine was warm in her stomach and the world went dark.  
  
-  
  
_The deathclaw was over her, prying the armour open like a tin can. She screamed as she felt the nails dig in, splitting her stomach open in a hot rush of blood. Screaming as she saw the claw start to swipe down again._  
  
'Shhhhh, it's okay Quinn. Hey, it's okay.'  
  
She felt a hand on her arm and jerked awake with a whimper. She was disoriented a moment, breathing hard, trying to figure out who had her arm when she turned the pipboy light on to see Preston. She relaxed slightly and wiped the sweat from her brow with a sigh.  
  
'I heard you screaming as I was doing rounds. Are you okay?'  
  
'Yeah, just was dreaming that the deathclaw was opening me like a can of tuna.'  
  
He gave her that odd look again, like he had no clue what she was saying, but gave a little smile, 'Well, hopefully, you won't dream of deathclaws next time you fall asleep. Goodnight, Quinn.'  
  
'Hey, thanks. Goodnight, Preston.'  
  
He tipped his hat at her and went back out. Quinn lay there for a while, listening to him walking around and Codsworth floating by, till she drifted off once again.  
  
-  
  
The day was a blur of work. There was a water purifier to build, then the water purifier needed a power generator. Once there was water, they needed to plant produce. Once they had food, then they needed defences.  
Sturges kept her busy until late afternoon, she was grateful for the work to keep her mind off things, but she told him there were some things she needed to take care of the next day.  
She had to pull out some of her father's old schematics to build the power generator and turrets, but luckily they had mostly survived in the safe, along with most of her pictures and letters. Some were faded beyond recognition, she sat on the floor looking at the picture of the five of them. Sighing she slid it back in the envelope and went back to work.  
Everyone had something they were doing, the Longs were tending the crops, Mama Murphy was helping with the crops or sitting in the chair that Sturges build her, Sturges was building some crafting stations, Preston was patrolling, and Codsworth was clearing the last of the collapsed houses. Once Quinn got the essentials out of the way, she went ahead and started going through the remaining houses.  
She found a fair amount of stuff and found out a lot more about her former neighbours than she had ever suspected. Preston said that the chems she found in the dealers house could fetch a decent price. She almost blew herself up at one point, nearly missing the trigger on the safe. She was startled to find gold bars in the root cellar and fully cleared that out so that they could use it to store food.  
By the time she had finished going through all the houses, both her home and the one she set everyone up in had a nice assortment of functional furniture. There were more boxes of stuff to scrap by the workbench. And there was a random assortment of food she had on the kitchen counter.  
She ran up the hill and collected the boxes she had stashed and brought them down, Preston hurrying over to help her.  
  
'Where did these come from?' Looking into the boxes curiously.  
  
'They're from the vault I came from, up the hill there.' Quinn sighed as they dropped the boxes off and grabbed some water, handing some to Preston and motioning him to sit with her in the kitchen. 'You probably figured out that I was from a vault, by now. It was up there on the hill, Vault 111. It was me, and my husband....and our baby Shaun. My son Shaun's been kidnapped. He's not even a year old.'  
  
'That's messed up. I'm sorry. I know how this world can be.'  
  
'Some people came and took him....and I wasn't even sure where to start looking, till I met you, folks. I...ugh, hold on, it will be easier to show you.'  
  
Quinn got up and went to her room and got the one envelope out of the safe, pulling some of the pictures out for Preston to look at. Watching his confusion, she flipped through a few and handed him one.  
  
'That was from my wedding, in March...2076.'  
  
He looked at the picture, then at her, then at the picture again. It would have been comical in any other circumstance.  
  
'How is that possible?'  
  
'I lived here... over 200 years ago. I was... frozen or something for most of it. Just woke up a little while ago. When they came to the vault I woke up and saw them shoot Nate and take Shaun, then something happened....the other pods...the life support was cut.' She choked up a little, looking down at her hands.  
  
'Hey, you don't have to get into it if it is too hard.'  
  
'I'm...I'll be okay. But tomorrow I want to bury them and any of the remains we can gather from the houses and streets. Can you.....can you help me?'  
  
'Listen... When we first met... You asked about the Minutemen. One thing you should know about us, we help out our friends. Of course, I'll help, for everything you've done. Thank you.'  
  
'Thank you, Preston. That means a lot to me, I'll feel better knowing that they are at rest.' Quinn smiled slightly, gathering the pictures.  
  
He had noticed that, that it was always a little grin, not a full smile and now he understood why. Why she said some odd things and didn't know some stuff. Why she had nightmares. Preston's heart went out to his new friend and he vowed to help her out as best as he was able.  
  
'Hey, if you ever need to talk, I'm here alright? And if you have questions, fire away. I can imagine things are quite a bit different.'  
  
She had another grin and that made him happy, 'I'll probably be taking you up on that soon. But for now I think we should get some dinner, then I want to clean up.' She groaned as she stood and stretched, sore all over. 'Sturges worked me hard today.'  
  
'Yeah, but now we have the start of a fine settlement.' He sounded so proud, it made Quinn glad she had brought them back and set everything up today.  
  
'Let's see what Codsworth can pull together for dinner.'  
  
-  
  
She woke early before the sun was even up. She couldn't remember what it was, but she had had another nightmare, leaving her sweating and shaking in bed. When it became apparent that her brain wasn't going to let her go back to sleep, she went ahead and got up.  
She took care of things before wandering to the kitchen counter, surveying the choices. She settled for some wild mutfruit that they had found.  
She stepped outside, seeing Codsworth down the road, patrolling. Preston must have finally gone to bed, Quinn was grateful, it was nice to feel secure, but he had looked tired last night and had not really given himself a break since they got to Sanctuary.  
She went to Mrs Rosa's old house, poking through what they had found and pulled out some shovels, carrying them out towards the small bridge. She left the shovels on the bridge, turning on her pipboy light as she looked around, trying to find a good spot for the graves.  
Eventually, she realised she wouldn't be able to place them on the hill like she had wanted, it was just too rough and rocky to be digging that many graves. The sun was just coming up when she decided on the spot, to the left of the main bridge as you're coming into the settlement, in between the slightly wooded area by the little creek. It felt peaceful there and it was enough away from the houses not to be in the way, but close enough that she could visit.  
Codsworth came over and checked on her, but she just waved him on and told him she had to do this. He promised to come back later and check on her as she started digging.  
Sturges was the first up and came over to check on her. When he asked what she was doing, he grabbed a shovel and started working with her. They worked in silence with just the steady sound of their movements for company. When Preston woke up he also joined in. They paused occasionally to eat or drink, but otherwise, they worked at it hard, not really wanting to be out there digging when the sun reached its peak. Once they had dug several graves, Quinn left the guys to the digging for a bit and went back to the workbench, grabbing a tarp she has found yesterday. She went around, pulling the skeletons one by one and laying them out next to the graves before going back for the others. Sighing and feeling extremely melancholy when she found a neighbour that had tried hiding behind their fridge, hurting for those that had been left behind. After she cleared the town, then she went up to the vault, clearing the skeletons on the outside and then in the vault itself.  
Quinn had never been very religious, but she said a soft prayer, hoping the souls found peace in the next life. They buried the skeletons and Sturges found some larger rocks and they used those as headstones, feeling bad that they didn't know names to put to the stones. They stopped for lunch, Quinn voicing her worries that they wouldn't be able to finish today when Sturges had the idea to use the power suit to make it quicker and easier. He was upset that they would be using the fusion core up, but Quinn said she would look for more later.  
They took turns using the power suit, taking frequent breaks to hydrate as the day got hotter. Once they had the graves, Quinn asked them to stay there and find more headstones and a way to mark them. Using the power suit, she went to the Vault and one by one brought the former residents down. Sturges had figured a way to engrave the rock and he worked on the headstones while Preston helped with the burials.  
It was almost evening by the time they were pretty much done...there was just one grave left. Quinn paused for some water and gave both the men giant hugs, thanking them from the bottom of her heart for her help.  
  
'This one...this one I need to do myself. Why don't you guys go get cleaned up and relax? Thank you so so much.'  
  
'Of course Quinn, we made a marker and left it there. If you need anything, we'll be at the house, okay?'  
  
They left her as she climbed back into the suit and made her way back up to the Vault, by the time she made it into the Vault she had to stop, crying so hard she could barely move. Thinking about turning around and not doing it, it felt too final...but she couldn't leave Nate alone in here, so cold and by himself. When she finally pulled herself together, she went and got her husband.  
Carrying his stiff body from the vault, like he had carried her on their wedding day or when they had bought the house. She lay him in the grave gently before stepping out of the suit, sitting on the ground next to the grave, holding his still cold hand.  
  
'This world....it's different now. Harsh. Scary. I met some people though. They're good people. They just have had a rough go of it. I'm going to find Shaun, I'm so worried, but Mama Murphy...one of the people...it's like she can see things. She said that he is still alive. I'm going to have to go to someplace called Diamond City, so I am going to be gone for a while probably.  
There was this creature...I thought I was going to die. They call it a deathclaw, you and Boff probably would have loved it, it's like something out of Land of the Lost or Grognak.  
Mama Murphy...she also said something that shocked me. She said I would find four kings and my court and one of old...I don't know how she would know that would have significance to me and who the hell she could be talking about. You're all gone. You're all gone and I miss you so bad it hurts.  
I just want to lie down next to you and not get up...'  
  
She let go of his hand, lying in the dirt next to his grave, and just started crying. Heavy racking sobs that made her ribs ache again, gasping for air, but she couldn't stop.  
She cried for nearly an hour before she felt empty. Wiping her face on her sleeve, she leant over and kissed Nate softly, her voice soft and small.  
  
'Love you, forever.'  
  
(Cover Me - Depeche Mode)  
  
She went and grabbed one of the odd plants that passed for a flower nowadays and placed it on his headstone - _Nathan Husband and Father -_ before grabbing the shovel. She didn't use the suit this time, going slow, watching his face the whole time. Feeling every ache in her body and heart, the blisters beginning to tear on her hands. It was dark by the time she finished.  
  
'Find Dad and Gov...find Boff and tell them I miss them and love them too. I'll visit you later honey.'  
  
-  
  
Sturges' heart broke for Quinn when he saw her coming back. She was covered in dirt, her hair a mess, and he could tell she had been crying. She moved slowly like everything hurt and he wondered if they shouldn't have helped her despite her insistence that she do it herself.

He was generally a chipper guy and he cared about his friends. He was always worried about Marcy and Jun and Mama Murphy, especially Jun after what had happened. And now he was worried for Quinn, Preston had told him a little of what they had talked about and that had just blown his mind. A pre-war woman, hell of a world to wake up to.  
  
'Pull up a chair. Let me grab you something to eat and drink.'  
  
Quinn just nodded silently and he frowned. He grabbed some water and some of the tato stew Marcy had made, and then grabbed the Bobrov's Best, thinking a shot of that might do her good.  
He was about to hand her the bowl when he saw her hands, ripped and bleeding.  
  
'Aw, Quinn. Let's take care of your hands, that has to hurt something fierce.' He set the bowl and drinks on the chair next to her and went into her house, finally having to ask Codsworth where he could find some stimpaks.  
  
'Is mum injured?'  
  
'Her hands are beat up from all the shovelling, hey Codsworth, why don't you heat some water and get that bath we found set up. I think a meal and bath would do her a world of good.'  
  
'Oh, very good Sir! I'll get that done right away.'  
  
He went back out and cleaned her hands with some water before injecting the stimpacks into her wrists, watching as they did their magic and closed up the blisters. He handed her the shot first before getting her to eat some of the stew. Preston came over and sat with them, bringing some beers that he had found down by a fishing dock. She unwound a little by the time Codsworth came back over.  
  
'Your bath is ready, mum.'  
  
'A bath?'  
  
'Oh, yes mum. Mr Garvey and Mr Sturges found a working tub earlier and got that set up so everyone can get cleaned up. We just have to heat the water at the cooking station.'  
  
'Ohhh, bless you guys.' Quinn says with a ghost of a smile, standing and heading towards the house to grab a fresh suit.  
  
By the time she was finished with her bath, she looked like a new woman, all clean and neat in another vault suit.  
  
'Hey, we saved you some beer.' As she started to shake her head, Sturges held one out, 'It's okay Quinn, just relax tonight. We can deal with things later.'  
  
Quinn relented and between the three of them they finished off the beers, moonshine, and some rum that Quinn had found in one of the houses. They were laughing over a story Preston was telling when Marcy yelled at them to shut up, that they were trying to sleep, trying to stifle their giggles as they got up. Codsworth assured Preston that he would stand guard and Quinn gave them both another giant hug and a drunken kiss on the cheek, making the men blush.  
  
'Thank you again.'  
  
Sturges could hear her singing to herself as wandered off to bed and he and Preston went to the house to pass out.  
  
_Whoever is out there, you watch over her. This one should be happy._  
  
-  
  
It may have been the copious amounts of alcohol they drank the night before, but Quinn couldn't remember dreaming. However, if the way the light was making her groan was any indication, she figured she was in hell anyways.  
  
'Good morning, mum, well good afternoon. I've brought some water and there is food.'  
  
At the mention of food, Quinn groaned and scrambled to the bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet. At least they didn't have to worry about the toilets for now. They could flush with buckets of water, Sturges said they'd have to figure some way of draining the septic system at some point, but that he had an idea that would help make a better fertiliser for the crops.  
  
By the time she stopped heaving, Quinn was awake and ready to face the day. She cleaned up and took care of everything before wandering to the living room. Codsworth came back over, holding the water out, which she took gratefully.  
  
'Afternoon, hmm?' she looked at her pipboy and was surprised when she noticed that it was after two. 'What do we have for food Codsworth?'  
  
'Mr Garvey found something called Mirelurk eggs mum and he made some fine omelettes this morning. There is some leftover, he said it would be particularly helpful after indulging last night, mum.' His tone softened and it wasn't the first time that Quinn wondered how much Codsworth actually felt and how that worked. 'I went by Sir's grave, you did a fine job mum. I know he would be proud of how strong you have been.'  
  
'Thank you, Codsworth dear. I'll get some of the omelette and see if I can help with anything today.'  
  
'Oh, Mr Garvey requests that once you were feeling up to it, he would like to speak with you.'  
  
'Hmm, okay, thank you.'  
  
Quinn had some of the omelette...it wasn't bad, it was just...oddly seafood tasting. Not what she was expecting from eggs, but it did help settle some of the nausea that she had been feeling. She found a Nuka-cola for some much needed caffeine and once again lamented the lack of coffee. She wandered towards the new little cemetery, not wanting to talk to Preston just yet. She gathered some of the flowers, Sturges had called them carrot flowers, until she had an armful. She walked from grave to grave, placing one on each. Stopping at Nate's grave for a few minutes.  
  
'Okay, love. I guess I'll go see what Preston wants.'  
  
She wandered back towards the houses, seeing Preston over by the bridge, doing his rounds. Quinn had to chuckle a little, apparently, she wasn't the only one feeling the effects of last night, Preston had some sunglasses on and was moving a bit slower today. She figured she'd see what he wanted and see if he would help her practice with the laser musket that he had had her pick up.  
  
'Afternoon Preston, Codsworth said that you wanted to talk to me?'  
  
'Hey, Quinn, yeah I wanted to ask you something. Can we find a spot of shade and some water?'  
  
Chuckling she motioned back towards the houses, they ended up sitting in some lawn chairs under Mrs Rosa's carport. Preston took his hat and sunglasses off, rubbing his head.  
  
'Ugh, been a while since I drank like that. Feels like a brahmin stomping in my head...'  
  
'What's a brahmin?'  
  
'Oh, uhhh...it's like what you used to call cows, but they have two heads. We still use them for milk and meat or a lot of the traders use them for pack animals. I found an animal book when I was younger and we used to play a game where we tried to figure out what used to be what. There are mirelurks, like the eggs I found....they're like crabs, but big and scary. Their shells are hard and can take a beating, so it's easier to try and shoot for their face or run. Uhh, you've seen a deathclaw, not really sure what those came from. Radstag is like deer. Super Mutants...were people once, but they went bad from experimentation and they have mutant hounds. There are some dogs that are in okay shape like Dogmeat, and there are some wild ones, like by the bridge. The different bugs...uhhh what else, there's molerats, they're about Dogmeat's size and they attack from underground. Sometimes traders from other areas bring tales of other mutations. Oh, and there's yao guai, they're like terrifying hairless bears.'  
  
Quinn snorted a little at the last one, 'Yao guai, huh? The neighbourhood communist watch would have been upset over that.' At Preston's puzzled look she continued, 'I don't know how much you know about the war, but we were fighting the Chinese and the Russians. I was an army brat, my father was a part of the US Army and we travelled around a lot when I was young. While I was in college studying to be a lawyer, I was extremely opposed to the war, got arrested a few times protesting. Dad, Nate...some others that I was close with, they were deployed to Anchorage at the time. Anyways...uh, there were groups, they called themselves neighbourhood communist watches, that were supposedly like neighbourhood watches to try and keep an eye out for Chinese/Russian spies infiltrating the US. I suppose the intent was good, but more often than not they were wrong and cruel to anyone they thought might be of Chinese or Russian decent. One of the girls at college, she was Native American but more than once people spat at her, calling her unsavoury terms. Dad was in the Army, but he and the guys...they practically helped raise me...they taught me to be fair to individuals. A person is never at fault just because of where they came from, and unless you or someone else is in danger, that you should try to give them a chance to do the right thing. I wish their view was a common one, but their squad was kind of viewed as the troublemakers. So, back to the yao guai...that's a Chinese term...it means like a demon or black demon or something, I can't remember exactly what. They would have been upset about the Chinese language being used, buncha idiots.'  
  
Preston nodded, 'Yeah, I've never understood those who are out for a fight, part of why I joined the Minutemen...to protect the people at a minute's notice. That was the idea. So I joined up, wanted to make a difference. And I did, but... things fell apart. Now it looks like I'm the last Minuteman left standing. Besides all the animals, there are the people that want to take something that's not theirs. Raiders, Gunners....Gunners are mercenaries, but they're just better organised and armed Raiders.'  
  
(The Hell Song - Sum 41)  
  
He stood and got them some more water, sitting back down and leaning forward in his chair, looking at Quinn, 'Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about and I hope you don't mind, but I've got another favour to ask. I've had word from a settlement that needs help. They're still hoping there are Minutemen out there somewhere. Trouble is, I've got my hands full here. Do you think you can help out with the settlement?' He watched her face closely like he wasn't sure what to expect.  
  
'I'd be glad to help. Where would I be going and what would I be doing?'  
  
'That's fantastic. The Minutemen could use more people like you. I can mark it on your pipboy. Sounded like the usual - raiders. You'll have to get all the details when you talk to them. I'll also mark this farm, run by the Abernathy's, some of the traders were talking about it. It's nearby, might swing by and see if they have crops to trade if you feel like it.'  
  
He reached over, marking the two locations on her pipboy, and marking Diamond City at her request. She'd already added Sanctuary, the Red Rocket, and Concord.  
  
'You just be careful, okay? I've seen how you shoot and you took down a damn deathclaw, but I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you.' Preston looked glum at the thought.  
  
Quinn patted his shoulder, 'Hey, I don't plan on checking out anytime soon. I need to find my son. I'll check on the settlements and then I'll see about heading to Diamond City and follow up on what Mama Murphy said. But before I do that you said that I could probably do some trading....uhh...what would be good for trade and what is currency now? Oh, and can you teach me how to shoot with the laser musket? I figure I can get ready and do some practice today, then I can head out in the morning.'  
  
'Sounds like a solid plan. Currency is caps, bottle caps....like from your Nuka-cola. Sturges should be able to help pick out some good stuff for trade and if you give me a little bit, I can get something set up to show you the laser musket.'  
  
Quinn was slightly puzzled about the caps, but she had found some in her scavenging and on the raiders, so she just nodded when Preston mentioned them. Preston went off to set up a makeshift shooting range and Quinn went and told Codsworth what the plan was and he fussed a bit but was happy to help her get some things together when she asked, leaving him to get water and food while she went and found Sturges.  
  
She chuckled when she heard the snoring, Sturges looked like he was in the middle of scrapping the old military truck and had just fallen asleep right there beneath it. She kicked his foot lightly, waking him, trying not to grin too much at the grumbling.  
  
'Never drinking Bobrov's again...what can I do for ya, Quinn?'  
  
Quinn told him what the plan was and he agreed to head to the house and pull some things together for her. She spent the rest of the afternoon working with Preston, as he showed her how to work the laser musket and she practiced with some of the other weapons that they had found, getting herself familiar with them again. They worked on their shooting till it got too dark to see. Talking about all the things the guys taught Quinn in case the great war happened...shooting, survival training, engineering and building. Preston telling her a little bit more about growing up and the Minutemen. After dinner, Quinn took another bath, since god only knows when she would get her next one and went to bed early, telling Preston that she would probably head out a little before dawn, so she could stop at Red Rocket and see what was there and swing by Abernathy farm. He shook her hand, thanking her again and it made Quinn feel good, she'd always tried to help whenever she could.


	3. An Uncertain Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn helps Abernathy farm and Tenpines Bluff, but a run in with the Art's leaves her bleeding and alone at Starlight Drive In.

* * *

She had woken up bright and early, Codsworth was the only thing moving and he helped load her up. First a bag of water and food and an extra suit, Quinn added some ammo and one of the guns that she had picked up, foregoing the musket for now since she didn't have much ammo. She kept out the 10mm since that was what she was most comfortable with, hoping that she'd be able to find or trade for more ammo. She had taken some time the night before and upgraded the gun a bit, now it was fitted with a scope, automatic capabilities, and an extended clip. Then Codsworth loaded her up with a bag of the stuff that Sturges had thought would be valuable for trade. He went with her to the bridge, waving his claw hand as she started off to Red Rocket.  
  
Quinn laughed at the barking that chased after her, stopping as Dogmeat came flying at her. 'Hey there boy, did you want to go for a walk with me too?' She was grateful for the company and motioned for him to come along.  
  
They stopped at the Red Rocket station and Quinn was grabbing what she could and mentally making plans, this would make a nice little solo pad in case she needed to get away before she strangled Marcy. Preston had told her what had happened to their son and her heart went out to them, she understood the pain, but the woman grated on her nerves something horrible. That was when Dogmeat started going crazy and those...things started popping out of the ground.  
  
_These must be the mole rat things Preston talked about._  
  
She picked a few off, but Dogmeat got the majority of them, looking like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. She laughed and left him to it while she went to the back office. She poked around at the terminal she had seen and rolled her eyes, reading the entries.  
  
_It was shit like that, that I had hated before they war, and here it had essentially happened in my back yard. The nukes may have delivered the blow that tried to end the world, but it was human nature that drove it to that point._  
  
She went to the back of the station and whistled for Dogmeat, seeing the entrance almost right away. Pulling out her gun and creeping into the little cave. There was this weird....squishy glowy fungus stuff, it kinda looked like brains. She poked at it a bit before continuing on. The little cave was deeper than she had anticipated and she stopped, holding her breath when she heard the scratching from ahead. She peeked around the bend and saw another mole rat.  
  
'Get 'em, boy.'  
  
Dogmeat bounded in happily and went after the molerat with gusto. She picked off another as it tried to surprise her, grumbling when she stepped in the icky wet mess on the ground. When she was sure that was the last of them she poked around in the two anterior chambers. Her pipboy was protesting something fierce against the waste they had illegally dumped in the cave, so she knew she needed to make it quick. Happily grabbing the fusion core she saw and the weapon and ammo in the safe she cracked. She beckoned Dogmeat to get out of there before the radiation really started to bother her. Luckily she had found some RadAway at the truck stop and stored it in her bag, wrapped in the spare suit to help prevent the bag from tearing.  
  
RadAway, stimpacks, ammo, and RadX. Those were the priority. Preston had mentioned rad storms...apparently, if the cloud front blew in over the main blast area it would pick up a charge and the radiation could be deadly. He said if she saw the clouds coming to find a place to hole up in and keep RadAway/RadX handy.  
  
_Giant mutated lizards, rabid giant moles, radiation storms. Soooo, pretty much everything is trying to kill you out here. That's not counting the asshole raiders and people like them._  
  
Dogmeat went bounding up the hill, barking happily, leaving Quinn to chase him. 'Hey, where the hell ya going?'  
  
Once she reached the top she was confused at his behaviour. He was bounding around happily, tail wagging like mad, but Quinn didn't see anything. Dogmeat bounced over to the base of the water tower and there were several cans of purified water and a med kit with some stimpaks and another precious RadAway.  
  
'Score!'  
  
She was packing them away happily when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up...she was being watched. She had been feeling it on and off, ever since she had left the vault, but the feeling was strong this time. She stayed squatting a moment, rifling through her bag, but when there were no shots fired or sound, she stood slowly. Acting like she was having a nice, lazy stretch, she commanded Dogmeat softly, 'Find 'em, boy.'  
He went bounding off into some bushes not too far away and Quinn swung her bag back on and readied her weapon, trying to be casual about it, like she was just ready to leave. She started towards the bushes Dogmeat went through and just when she had reached the end of them, he came bounding back.  
  
'Whatcha got there boy?' He sat at her feet and dropped a large purple-blue flower there. She looked towards the bushes but didn't see anything immediately, so she stooped down and picked up the flower, giving it a tentative sniff. It smelled like...like an orchid and some grapes had a baby, she frowned at the flower and then grinned. She wondered how many odd combinations there were now after centuries of mutation.  
Quinn still felt like she was being watched, but didn't necessarily feel like she had a target on her back, so she tucked the flower in her ponytail and started towards the Abernathy's. Either she was getting paranoid or whoever was watching her didn't bear her ill will and was damn good at staying hidden.  
  
-  
  
Quinn's feet hurt and she knew she was going to have some killer blisters, but at least her back wasn't killing her as much as it had been before. It had been a productive morning and she was looking forward to meeting the settlers at this Tenpines Bluff. It was nearing 4 pm and she really wanted to catch a meal and a nap before dealing with things.  
  
The Abernathy's had been hesitant at first but had opened up after talking with them. Blake Abernathy had told her what had happened with their daughter and she felt a slow burning rage begin to build in her. How many people had been hurt, how many people had lost their children? When he mentioned the locket she knew she would try help if she could, when it proved to be in the same general direction as Tenpines Bluff, that just cinched it. His wife Connie had some items for trade and Quinn was grateful to unload some of the items that Sturges had selected.  
An hour later she was back at Red Rocket, dumping off stuff to collect on the way back. She had managed to get some tato plants, a baseball cap and a couple stimpacks from the items she had for trade. She still had a little bit of trade, but at least now the strap from the bag wasn't digging into her shoulder painfully. She left the tatos and gave them a little bit of water, putting her flower in a glass of water and leaving it on the work bench. On the way back she had found a half buried trunk and it had some more weapons and ammo, it also had a few pieces of leather armour that she strapped on over her suit.  
She broke down the weapons she didn't want, leaving the scrap there, and had a tin of water before starting on her way again.  
She had thought about going after the locket first, it was slightly closer than the settlement, but then she figured it would be a better tactical advantage to go after the necklace at night when they couldn't see her. She just hoped she didn't fall on her face or something and give herself away.  
She stuck to the hills overlooking Concord, wanting to avoid the museum in case some other assholes or giant lizards decided to make an appearance, but Dogmeat trotted beside her quietly. At one point he gave a woof and his tail started to wag, but he didn't run off after looking around.  
Quinn couldn't help herself, she called out, 'And this one goes out to whomever the hell is following me. Be nice or I'll feed you to the molerats.' She wandered on, singing out to her invisible follower.  
  
(Being Followed - Duran Duran)  
  
Quinn danced down the road, skirting around a quarry she saw, deciding to head a bit more south to potentially avoid the raiders, the satellite station was up the hill a bit and she didn't know if they had patrols or something.  
  
She started doubting herself and what she was doing.  
  
_Why the hell would I agree to something so stupid, I'm no one._  
  
These people needed help though and she'd always had a hard time saying no to someone in need. Sighing and wishing Nate or Aidan was here with her. She sang again, voice softer, sotto with her sadness.  
  
(Don't Forget About Me - Cloves)  
  
She sighed and looked down, just watching as she put one foot in front of the other, occasionally looking up or checking the pipboy. But she listened, just in case, and this new world sounded different. There was a lot less ambient natures sounds than she remembered, and none of the noise pollution of man, it just added to the odd feeling. She had been up and down the vast majority of these roads at one point or another, and while they were more or less the same, they felt alien.  
  
She barely caught the sign pointing up the hill and started following it up. Tenpines Bluff was a little shack towards the top of the hill, with some rough ground, and some tato plants. There was a man and woman, brother and sister, Quinn later found out. The woman approached her cautiously, once Quinn identified herself as a Minuteman, the relief was apparent on her face.  
She told her of the raiders that were giving them a hard time and where Quinn could find them. Quinn assured her that she would be taking care of the raiders, but that tonight she was going to need to take care of the ones at the satellite station. The woman was more than happy to help and when Quinn asked about a nap, offered her her mattress.  
  
'I'll rest for a few hours, then once it's good and dark, I'll go take care of those bastards.'  
  
She laid down, feeling the comforting warmth of Dogmeat at her feet.  
  
(Short Change Hero - The Heavy)  
  
Quinn was able to take out the raiders at the satellite station with minimal fuss surprisingly, she was worried her new hair would be too bright in the dark. It wasn't until she ran into the crazy raider woman with the mini gun that she began to question her sanity again. She wasn't sure how much of it was adrenaline and how much was sheer stupidity, but she managed to take her down with Dogmeat's help and escaped with only a graze to her left arm.  
She was glad no one was around as she was looking for the locket. She'd found it in a tool chest next to a locked door. Curious, she went ahead and opened the door and started to enter when the biggest god damn bug she'd ever seen dropped down. It was a glowing radroach that dwarfed the other radroaches...and she may have shrieked at the top of her lungs and ran back to the other room. She grabbed the minigun and went nuts on the bugs.  
Considering she'd only first used a mini gun a few days ago, she was becoming fond of them, but damn they were heavy. She decided to she needed to find a good long range rifle and something with a little more stopping power than just her 10mm for close combat.  
She had to repress a shudder as she could hear Dogmeat happily crunching away on one of the radroaches.  
She did score a U.S. Covert Operations Manual, a mini nuke, and another fusion core. She ran back to Tenpines Bluff, nearly getting turned to mush when a molerat stuffed with explosives charged her. I mean, really, who does that?  
  
She lay down in a sleeping bag, staring up at the stars, snuggling with Dogmeat happily.  
  
_There were five children sitting on a blanket. Their ages varied from young child to just a babe. She was reading them a story...a story about the end of the world. For all the fire and brimstone, she seemed happy. The children were happy. There were other people there, but it was like they were just out of her field of view, but she knew they were happy too._  
  
She woke up smiling and crying, hugging her bag like it was one of the children. Dogmeat licking the tears from her face. Trying to figure out what the hell the odd dream meant.  
  
_Oh god, I miss you, Shaun. Where are you, my baby?_  
  
She was trying not to think of him, because every time she thought of him, she just wanted to curl up and cry. But then later she would feel guilty for not thinking of him, of what a horrible parent she must be, not to be able to hold it together to find her baby.  
It was just after dawn. She gathered her stuff and made her goodbyes to the settlers, promising she would be back after she took care of the raiders.  
Once they hit Lexington, everything went to hell.  
  
First, she decided to pop into the Super Duper Mart, she found what she assumed were part of Preston's original group and a shit ton of the feral ghouls things he had told her about. Dogmeat was darting around the aisles getting what ghouls he could, but more than a few surprised her. She did find a decent amount of food, some Nuka-colas, a magazine, a fusion core, a bunch of caps...and some holotapes Preston's team made. She took the bodies and brought them to the garage, hoping that they could come back later and get them, she filled a crate with the stuff that she found and didn't want to drag along for now, like some Mr Handy fuel tanks for Codsworth. She found some medicine, but none of the anti-anxiety medicine she had hoped to find. She tucked the medicine and holotapes in her bag and made her way out, dodging between buildings as she saw a lot of ferals outside.  
She bloodied her knees as she jumped into another Red Rocket as an actual rocket came out of nowhere, blasting the ferals that were gathering in the open area. She was terrified that they had seen her and would shoot for her next. She hid behind the counter, sitting there till the shaking and whimpering subsided a bit. She sang under her breath, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. Dogmeat sat next to her, whining softly at her distress.  
  
(Hard Day - Matt McAndrew)  
  
When she figured she could stand up without shaking, she went out the opposite side she came in and opted for a new approach. She made her way out of town just a little bit and started heading towards the backside of the factory, where she figured the loading docks would be. Hoping they would be easier than a frontal assault. She sat against a concrete wall, not seeing anyone in the first area she checked.  
The second area she checked, she had found an opening in the chain link fence, having to backpedal almost immediately as she saw the raiders walking up the ramp across the way. She squatted down behind the truck that fortunately blocked the view of the break in the fence and tried to figure out what to do next.  
She could hear them talking, then there was a loud clang and glass shattering from one of the trucks next to her and she knew there must be more guys in them.  
  
_Shit. Shit. Shit. What do I do?? I can't...I can't. I'm just a fat lawyer who knows how to talk her way around things, I haven't trained in so long. At least I am remembering how to shoot._  
  
She probably would have sat there internally debating it for a while longer, except for the fact that one of the raiders came stumbling around the corner with his cock out to take a piss. Startled, Quinn shot him before he could react, but that alerted his buddy as soon as he hit the ground. Quinn scrambled, retreating back towards the concrete wall, ordering Dogmeat to her side. She ducked around it and waited, shooting for the raiders as they came running around the truck.

Somewhere, high above her, she could hear someone yelling.  
  
_God damn stupid fucking pieces of shit._  
  
Quinn had always had a mouth on her and while she had curbed that for law school and the DAs office, there was just something supremely satisfying about just letting go. She took a deep breath and steadied her aim when no one else came running around the truck she took the risk and went forward. Stepping over the bodies, she didn't immediately see anyone, so she stepped back and drug them out of the way. She gave them a quick pat down, keeping her gun pointed at the gap. She grabbed any ammo, caps, or chems and did just a really quick inspection of their weapons to see if anything was worth it. If she survived this, she'd grab anything else she wanted later.  
  
Coming around the truck she ran for the door she saw, eyes darting all around. The door was locked, seemed like it was chained on the other side. So her options were to go back around to the front or up and across. Dogmeat made the decision for her when another raider came down the stairs, going for his neck before he could go after Quinn.  
  
'Good boy, let's go get them.'  
  
They went up the stairs, Dogmeat staying at her side unless she ordered him or if she needed help. She briefly wondered who trained him and just thanked them instead as they came around a corner and Dogmeat clamped down on a raiders arm. She cleared the raiders she could find outside and tested the first factory door she could find.  
It felt like there were hundreds of raiders in the factory, though rationally Quinn knew that was not the case. They cleaned the place from top to bottom and confronted the one called Jared.  
Quinn had shuddered when she had read the terminals. Jared had some kind of fixation on Mama Murphy and the sight. She was glad he was gone now before he had a chance to find them at Sanctuary. She thought to herself that she should probably make a few more turrets before leaving for Diamond City.  
It was getting dark by the time everyone was good and dead, so she made her sweep through the factory as quick as possible. She found some good stuff and was fairly certain she got everyone, so when she stepped back out onto the roofs and saw the sky, she allowed herself the time to go up to the highest catwalks.  
She gave a little squee of joy, glad that she went up when she found another bobblehead. Sitting down on the grating, legs dangling over the edge, Dogmeat at her side, and a sky full of stars. She dug around in her bag until she came up with the cigarettes she had grabbed off one of the raiders, she'd also found several cartons in the factory, so she knew at least if she picked up the habit again, she was set for a bit.  
She took a drag and had to scoot back from the edge, coughing till Dogmeat was whining at her.  
  
'Ugh, it's okay boy. I just haven't smoked since....since before I married Nate.'  
  
She took another, smaller drag and was thankful for the nicotine rush. She scoped out the area and could see the vague shape of the old drive in, in the distance. She'd been there a few times, on the rare date night they had before Shaun was born. She remembered that there was some storage or something at the back. Could make a good place to hide for the night.  
It wasn't too far and she'd rather try to go for that in the dark than stay here, in case more raiders showed up. She finished the cigarette and stubbed it out, giving Dogmeat a scratch on the head.  
  
'We're going to have to rinse you off when we get a chance. I love you, but no more kisses till we rinse the raider blood off. Let's go boy.'  
  
She made sure she had what she wanted and strapped the bags tight, her gun in hand. She had taken the baseball cap off, trading it out for a green rag hat she'd found, covering her hair a bit better. She was going to have to find a better hat, some way of dying her hair so it wasn't so noticeable or just roll with it.  
They made their way down and back around the Super Duper Mart, running down the road quickly.  
  
She didn't see them at first and when she did, all she could do was stop and stare.  
It was twins and they were holding their guns on each other or so she thought. They suddenly started shooting at each other, one of the men screaming about how the other was a synth. She wasn't quite sure what to do as they had already seen her and when she tried backing away the one started screaming at her, so she raised her hands, trying to get them to talk it out. That lasted all of a few seconds before they started shooting again. The one shot the other and then turned on her...and Quinn did it without even thinking.  
It was like slow motion, watching his head jerk back and then his body follow in a bloom of red and flesh. She made a choked noise in her throat and the ringing in her ears slowly died out so she could hear Dogmeat barking at her frantically. She tried to comfort him, but all that came out was a whimper and when she looked down, she could see the red blooming at the side of her suit.  
  
_Oh. Shit. I've been shot._  
  
She felt like she should be panicking more, she pressed her hand to her side and left the two lying in the road as she made for the drive-in. It was right there. She thought about stopping at the concession stand, but it was too open and ran towards the back. There was a door that was open, Quinn could see a crib and a couch, but no one was around so she ran in.  
Dogmeat was barking frantically and ran around the side of the building. She tried to call out but didn't have the energy. She dropped the bags and peeled her suit down to her waist, it was getting soaked, as well as the undershirt she was wearing. She fumbled with the bags grabbing some stimpacks, but when she felt her side she broke down.  
  
_Jesus fucking Christ...really? If I fucking die, that's it, I will kick some karmic ass. No one should have to deal with this much shit._  
  
Her breath was coming out in pants, she dug through the bag till she found a combat knife that she had pulled off one of the raiders. Grabbing the bag strap and biting down on it as she felt her side again.  
  
_Okay, didn't come out, but can feel it at the back. Should just be able to cut and get it out...if I can reach it._  
  
She was about to go for the cut, trying not to think about how dirty the knife was when she remembered all the chems in the bag. She grabbed some med-x and dosed herself first. The effect was almost instantaneous and her head was a little fuzzy, but the pain was more under control and her hand wasn't shaking as bad now. Biting into the strap hard and leaning over the arm of the couch, she twisted her arm back so she could dig the knife into her side. Screaming into the strap, her hand was shaking so hard that she dropped the knife.  
  
_This is it huh, after all that, getting taken out by a random bullet. Oh, my baby, I'm sorry._  
  
A song popped into her head and took root.  
  
(The Way I Do - Bishop Briggs)  
  
_Lay my heart down  
Laid it down for you  
Laid it down for you, oh  
Put my arms out  
Put 'em out to you  
Oh, Lord, I was reaching for ya  
Reaching for ya_  
  
_Oh child, reaching for ya  
Reaching for ya  
Oh, but you will never know this love  
Will never know this pain  
Never know the way I feel for you  
You will never know this touch  
Will never know this shame  
Will never know the way I want you to_  
  
....  
  
She couldn't remember all of it, her brain felt fuzzy.  
  
She felt her side and realised that the bullet was out and she was just sitting there bleeding.  
  
_Stimpacks need stimpacks..._  
  
She got them out of the bag and jabbed one into her side as best she could.  
  
She could hear Dogmeat barking somewhere and what sounded like a voice, but she was so tired.  
  
Quinn fell back into the couch, jabbing the second stimpack in her side as the world started to go dark. The last coherent thought she had was that Shaun would never know how much they loved him.  
  
_'Audra! Come on, hang on.'_


	4. Any Road Can Take You There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn wakes up to find that she has some kind of guardian angel who has been looking out for her while she was injured.  
> Mr Guardian Angel tries to figure out how she came to be in this time.

She blinked, trying to figure out how she fell asleep Shaun's room.  
  
No, it was wrong, Shaun's crib was blue and there wasn't a couch in there...  
  
Quinn jumped up with a groan, looking for a weapon and promptly fell back to the couch, her legs weak and the edges of her vision going black.  
  
Things were starting to come back...the identical men, getting shot, hallucinating from blood loss.  
She had heard a familiar, impossible voice. The more she tried to remember, the further it seemed to drift away.  
  
She took a few deep breaths and tried to figure out what happened.  
_I was going to the drive in._  
_I got shot._  
_I ran to the back and the room was open._  
_I dug the bullet out and passed out._

  
She looked down and made a noise in her throat...someone had changed her clothes. She was wearing some jeans, a flannel shirt, and undershirt. Her blood stained suit and undershirt were on the floor, the undershirt looking like it had been ripped. She had no clue where her hat went, vaguely remembering it falling off at some point as she ran.  
Her face flamed as she saw her makeshift nursing pads had also been changed.  
She lifted the shirts to look at her side, She could see the soft pink of new scar tissue, the little entry wound and the longer jagged line in the back from where she gouged herself.  
The door was open and she could hear Dogmeat barking somewhere. There was a water tin on the floor next to the couch and her bags were against the wall next to a fridge. She crouched down, keeping the door in front of her as she dragged the bags over and looked through them. Everything appeared to be there and even her gun was there and appeared to have been cleaned.  
  
_Okay, someone found me passed out and helped get me settled and out of the bloody clothes. They changed my wet nursing pads. They happened to have clothes that mostly fit me. The cleaned my gun and left me some water._  
  
Quinn picked up the tin. It was still sealed and she couldn't see any evidence of tampering, so she went ahead and opened it and drank slowly. When she felt a little more steady, she went ahead and stood up, hanging onto her gun as she exited the room. There was a spit set up right outside of the room and what appeared to be mole rat on it. She looked around the back and saw a closed door, then crept slowly towards the front.  
Dogmeat was running around the grounds, chasing mole rats, but Quinn couldn't see any evidence of her temporary caretaker. She looked up the stairs and decided to take a peek, trying to climb up quietly. She heard a creak from somewhere and that was her saving grace, noticing the mine just before she put her foot down.  
She looked at it and it appeared to be easy enough to disarm, Nate had shown her that in one of his many training sessions, despite the fact that she had looked at him incredulously, trying to figure out when the hell she would ever encounter a mine.  
  
_Nate, I know if you're somewhere up there watching, you're laughing at me right now._  
  
Quinn took a deep breath and crouched down, disarming the device, letting out a shaky breath. She was a lot more conscious of where she was stepping the rest of the way up. She couldn't stop the soft oooh of wonder once she reached the top and was able to see out over the entire drive-in and surrounding area. There was a diner a bit aways that looked interesting. Dogmeat was still happily running around between old cars. He must have gotten a half a dozen mole rats, if not more. She saw movement in the concession stand and started running down the stairs and across the lot.  
  
'Hello? Hellllo? I just wanted to thank you for your help.'  
  
Dogmeat barked happily when he saw her and gave chase as she ran to the concession stand, frowning. She was certain that she had seen someone, but no one was answering her call and she didn't immediately see anyone in the stand. She entered and went up the stairs towards the projector, empty save for a skeleton lying on a mattress.  
  
'Okay, Dogmeat. I'm either losing my mind or a ghost helped me.'  
  
(Children of the Corn - Sopor Aeternus)  
  
Quinn sighed and looked out over the cars again, trying to confirm that she wasn't crazy and that someone would magically appear, when they didn't she gave up and wandered over to the shed at the side. She tried the door and it was locked, but she could see a workbench through the door.  
  
_Hmm, I'll have to see about getting that open later._  
  
Singing under her breath, she walked back to the small room and examined her surroundings a bit closer. There was some stuff in the fridge, a machete and meat on a grill and random bottles lying about, but it looked like no one had actually been there in a while. The crib and shelf across from it had a thick layer of dust.  
Dogmeat whined, looking at the cooking molerat and back to her. Quinn laughed and pulled off a leg and tossed it to him.  
She went towards the closed door that she had seen and found it locked, wandering back to her bag and grabbing some bobby pins. It took a few tries, her hands not very steady, but she got it open. She stayed kneeling and held her gun at her side, slowly opening the door. When she didn't hear anything, she poked her head in. Shelving filled the room, but she didn't see anyone. She poked through and grabbed everything useful. She almost screamed again when another stupid fucking radroach came skittering out, but Dogmeat was kind enough to save her dignity and take care of the creature. She found a safe but wasn't able to get it and she stopped to turn on her pipboy light to see if it would help.  
She squeaked a little when she noticed the date and time. She'd been unconscious two days. It was midday and Quinn still needed to let the settlers at Tenpines Bluff and the Abernathy's know that the raiders were taken care of. She left the safe, figuring someone else could have it or she could deal with it whenever she came back to get at the workbench.  
She went back to the room, grabbing some of the meat and chomping down, trying not to gag as she got things ready. Stomach not able to handle it, she tossed the rest to Dogmeat and settled for more water. She popped her head out and looked around, finding a bush to go do her business behind. She splashed a tiny amount of water on her hands, wishing for a sink or hand sanitizer or something.  
  
_All the little things I never used to think about. Clean running water. Vehicles to get around faster. Nearly any food one could want. Music, I miss all the music._  
  
Preston and Sturges had introduced her to Diamond City Radio and there was a classical station, but it wasn't the same, just a fraction of all the music she had always loved. She gathered her bags and closed the door behind her, whistling for Dogmeat as she made for Tenpines Bluff, wanting to give them the good news.  
  
-  
  
Quinn made a quick detour when leaving the drive-in, walking by where the shootout had happened and going to check out the diner she had seen.  
  
She couldn't find the bodies anywhere, which she found odd. She would have wondered if she was losing her mind, but there was still some blood and gunk where she had shot the one man. She found some food and a suitcase with some clothes in a hull of a car, but nothing beyond that. Stuffing the items in her bag and heading off to the diner.  
  
There was a mother and son being harassed by a chem dealer. Quinn tried to talk the man away but ended up in a shootout with him and his companion.  
  
_Judge, jury, and executioner...I don't know how I feel about that._  
  
In the end, the mother, Trudy, was grateful and offered a discount for her goods. Quinn happily unloaded as much as she was able to, almost buying a sword Trudy had, but taking some stimpacks and caps instead.  
  
The two settlements were happy to hear of the raiders demise, committing themselves to the Minutemen.  
She ended up staying an extra day at each, helping them set up some defences and promising to check in after her run to Diamond City.  
  
Quinn stopped by the Red Rocket to gather the tato plants, blinking at the workbench when she noticed that the glass that had the flower had been changed and there was a bunch of flowers now. There was another vase with flowers on the counter inside. She looked around, but couldn't find any other evidence of anyone having been there. She wondered if it was the ghost or a stalker, shaking her head and taking a moment to enjoy the scent of the flowers.  
  
(One Headlight - The Wallflowers)  
  
She closed up and walked on, smiling as she got to the bridge, Dogmeat bounding to the house happily.  
She wondered if this is what life was going to be like now, running around looking for Shaun, trying to help people...but eventually going home.  
Dogmeat's barking brought everyone over as she walked to the house, passing off the tatos to Jun and Marcy, shocked when she didn't receive a comment back. After hugs for the other three, Quinn sat down with Preston and Sturges, giving Preston the good news.  
  
'Tenpine's Bluff AND Abernathy Farms have agreed to throw in with the Minutemen. I had to take care of some raiders for them and then I set up some defences. I meant to be back a few days ago, but I was shot and had to rest up. Oh, that reminds me. I saw a workbench at the old Starlight Drive-In...'  
  
Sturges burst in, looking concerned, 'Wait, you got shot? Are you okay Quinn? Do we need to look at it?'  
  
She waved her hand, trying to look blase about it, 'I got the bullet out and took the stimpacks like you told me. I also seem to have a mysterious guardian angel, they watched over me while I rested, but I couldn't find them. But about the drive in, there looks like a workshop there. At some point, I'll get back there and clean things up so we have more space if needed.' Smiling brightly at the two.  
  
Sturges was still frowning and Preston looked concerned but smiled back at her when she smiled, 'That's good, really good. I've got to hand it to you Quinn, that's the best news I've heard in a while.'  
  
Quinn's smile faltered slightly, pulling her bag up and getting the holodisks out, 'I ended up in the Super Duper Mart in Lexington...I think these are from some of your group. I moved their bodies to the garage, I hope at some point we can get them and give them a proper burial. I can get a terminal working for you if you want to listen to them.'  
  
The men looked saddened as Preston accepted the tapes, 'Thank you, Quinn. They were good people.'  
  
Quinn took the time to set up and format the working terminal that she had found in one of the houses before going to put things away and clean up. She groaned happily once she got to take a bath and change out of the dusty clothes her guardian had given her, sorting through the various clothing that she had found in the homes, nice and clean now thanks to Codsworth. She settled on some jeans, an undershirt, and some slightly ill fitted undergarments, wanting to get her own clean before having to leave again.  
She worked on some of the weapons and armour she had found. Storing the pieces she didn't want to use immediately and doing what she could to improve her armour, pistol, and pipe rifle. Sorting the ammo into their various types, thinking about how she could sew pockets onto her duffle so each type had its own place.  
  
_Maybe I can get Codsworth to do that before I go. Let's see, weapons good, armour good. Need to get clothes and food and trade items ready..._  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when Preston came over, asking to talk again, shocking the hell out of her when he asked her to lead the Minutemen. She tried to convince him that she was so not the person for the job and that he should take it, but he stood firm and she eventually relented.  
  
'I just hope I can do a good job and be there for people. I'll try, Preston, but I need to find my son.'  
  
'The Minutemen will stand beside you, General. There's no question about that. The more people we have on our side, the more we have eyes out.'  
  
She smiled softly and took his hand, giving it a squeeze, 'Thank you, that makes me feel better, thinking about it that way. I'm going to stay a day or two and rest up, get things ready, and then I'm going to head to Diamond City to see what I can find there.'  
  
'Sounds like a plan, General. I'll let you know if I hear of any settlements that need our help.'  
  
He handed her some of what seemed to be Minutemen standard clothing and a hat, beaming at her. Quinn slipped away after that, suddenly tired, side aching slightly. Not even bothering with dinner, she went to the kitchen, getting a drink. A song popping in her head, laughing when Codsworth joined in, reaching for his claw and dancing with the old robot.  
  
(Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz)  
  
After the dance she had another drink, standing out the window, struck with a memory of dancing with Nate in the kitchen. That was before Shaun had been born when they were newlywed and young and extremely lascivious. She tried to remember the feel of him, his taste, the sounds he would make. Her eyes started to drift closed with the fantasy/memory but flew open as she realised her chest was wet again, hand darting under her shirt with a grumble. She stood there and took the now wet bra and shirt off before downing the remainder of her drink and deciding on bed.  
She took care of her bathroom duties and slipped out of her jeans, tossing a random t-shirt on. Mama Murphy and Codsworth had patched together some quilts from some of the curtains and random fabric they had found and now Quinn had something nicer than the threadbare blanket she had been using. Codsworth had washed that and some sheets that he had found, so when she climbed into bed after taking care of things, it was the most comfortable she had been since waking up. She rubbed her side, silently thanking whoever it was that took care of her.  
  
-  
  
_'Audra! Come on, hang on.'_  
  
_She kept hearing the voice, but she couldn't visualise a face. Her vision was black, but she could feel rough hands, so gentle against her skin. Cleaning her wound, changing her clothes...brushing the hair that had fallen out off of her face, the soft press of lips to her forehead._  
_She desperately wanted to open her eyes, to see if the voice matched the face. A voice from so long ago, not quite the same, a voice she had worried that she had forgotten._  
_Fighting and fighting, a silver of light coming into view..._  
  
-  
  
Her eyes opened, looking at the ceiling. She hadn't been able to open her eyes to see the face that went with voice. It wasn't quite the same, that would be impossible, but it was close enough that it made her ache for more.  
Quinn sighed and rolled out of bed, rubbing her eyes and pulling on her jeans. No one knew that name anymore, she wasn't even sure if she was that person anymore.  
After her morning routine she went in search of Codsworth, finding him making a group breakfast in the house she had set up for the others.  
  
'Good morning, Codsworth. Mmm, thank you for breakfast. When you're done I was wondering if you could help me sew a bunch of pockets onto my duffle so I can sort my ammo. Oh, good morning Sturges.'  
  
Codsworth said that he would take care of it after breakfast, Quinn's attention shifting to the handyman.  
  
'Things are looking good around here. I was thinking about housing before bed, you know if you guys wanted to, we can set everyone up in their own place. I just put everyone here that night because it was late.'  
  
'Ya know Quinn, that would be nice. Maybe set up a communal space for the kitchen and bunkhouse for us single guys, but can give Mama Murphy her own space, and Jun and Marcy.' Nodding as he drifted into thought. 'I'll talk to them and see where they would like to get set up and take care of it today. Can you take a look at that water purifier and see why it's running a bit slow? Sometime, if we can get the supplies, we should set up a more permanent water tower.'  
  
'Yeah, I'll go check it out. I'll need to find the plans. If I can find some paper and stuff, I should probably make a copy of what I have for you to have on hand.'  
  
Sturges brightened at this, nodding enthusiastically, 'That would be great, I know a fair bit about tinkering, but building from the ground up is a little harder. Where did you get all them plans anyways?'  
  
'My dad...my dad taught me a bunch of stuff about survival and building/repairing. When things started looking like they were going to get serious with the war, he put together a binder with plans for anything he thought could be useful. From building campsites to water towers and fusion generators. We might be able to find more schematics at some of the military bases, I know most of them had the disaster preparedness folders too. I'll keep and eye out and bring whatever I can home. We can build our very own library.' She smiled wistfully at this, only one of her books had survived, and that was because it had been in the safe. If she could have only saved one, that would have been the one anyways. She wondered if she would be able to get a copier of some kind working. That would make things easier and she could give each settlement their own binder.  
  
Quinn spent the remainder of the day tinkering with the water purifier, getting it in working order again and then preparing herself for another trek.  
  
_I'm coming baby._  
  
-  
  
(Time is Running Out - Muse)  
  
No, no, no! How the hell had that happened? He had been ahead of her, dealing with some mutts when he heard the shots. He paused, trying to figure out where they were coming from when Dogmeat came bounding over. As soon as he saw the dog, he took off running. Dogmeat guiding him to the old drive in.  
  
'Where is she, boy?' They ran around back in time to see her stabbing a stimpack in her side, passing out on the couch.  
  
'Audra! Come on, hang on.' He dropped down next to her, leaving Dogmeat to watch out as he leant her over, lifting her shirt to look at her side. He could see the ragged cut knitting together, gently pushing his fingers over it, looking for the bullet or anything remaining. When he didn't feel anything he started looking around the floor trying to confirm it was out. He breathed a little easier when he saw the little lump and knife on the floor. She had gotten it out and had gotten some stimpacks in her side. Letting out a little sigh of relief. He'd almost jumped out when he had seen the deathclaw in Concord and had tried to take shots when he wouldn't be noticed, now this, she was going to give him a heart attack.  
  
'Tough one. Not going to let a little thing like getting shot slow you down?'  
  
He took a few deep breathes so his heart could resume it's regular cadence, sighing at the blood-soaked woman in front of him. He used the knife on the ground to cut a slit in the undershirt, pulling it apart with a rip. Ripping a chunk of cleaner fabric from the shirt and grabbing a tin of water, wiping her side down gently. Once the blood was gone he moved her to a more comfortable position, removing her boots and blood stained suit. He tossed the suit aside and poked through her bags. There was another suit, but she didn't have anything that looked like it would be easy to slip on her. Grabbing his bag that he had dropped in the rush, he poked through it till he came out with some jeans, a flannel, and an undershirt. He grabbed some Med-X he had seen in her bag, giving her a small dose for any lingering pain. He didn't have any stashes nearby, otherwise he'd have gone to get some, but he was reluctant to leave her alone.  
He laughed a bit at how ridiculous he probably looked, struggling to pull the jeans up her legs, rolling her around. As he went to pull the undershirt on, he noticed the damp spots on her bra...face flaming as he flailed a little, sitting back awkwardly, not sure what was going on...when it dawned on him and he realized what was up...the rounded belly, the damp spots...but why the hell would she be out here? What the fuck did she think she was doing? But he hadn't seen...where?  
With a frustrated growl, he searched her bags again, trying to find any evidence of the fact and finding some scraps of fabric, changing the wet ones as delicately as he could. He leant her up so he could put the shirts on her. Once she was dressed again he lay her down gently, sighing and brushing her hair back, kissing her forehead softly. Smirking slightly as he played with her hair, befitting of someone 234 years old. Looking at the rings on the chain around her neck and feeling a pang of something, something he hadn't felt in decades.  
He put her boots back on, because you never knew when you might have to jump up and move, but hoped she would sleep a bit after the dose he gave her. He cleaned the knife with the torn shirt and noticed a gun thrown near the bags. A fine enough gun, but he hoped she would get something bigger soon. He sat across from her, cleaning her gun, and waited.  
Dogmeat eventually came over, nudging at her with a whine.  
  
'I know, but she'll be okay.'  
  
With a huff, the dog sat on the floor next to her, about to rest his chin on her legs.  
  
'Uh uh uh, you need to rinse off first, I just got the blood off her.'  
  
He used a machete he had found to get some bloatfly nearby, rinsing Dogmeat off in the shallow pond they hovered over. Once they had eaten and dried off, he closed the door and blocked it with the grill standing there. It wasn't much, but it would give him time to grab a weapon if needed. He made sure to take some RadAway and pulled a hat down, sitting on the floor dozing.  
  
She was still out the next day, so he took turns with Dogmeat, watching her. Leaving the door open so he could hear if she woke, but not wanting her to wake with him there, startling her. After a while, he closed the door so she was hidden and jogged towards the front of the drive in. He saw the bodies and cursed, searching them both and finding one with a component. They must have ended up there after he had passed. He took the bodies and drug them off a bit, so she wouldn't have to see the bodies, not sure if she knew about synths yet. He started to get concerned when she was still out by night, but she stirred a little and he could see the telltale signs of her dreaming. He blocked the door with the grill again, leant against the wall and pulled one of his hats down over his face.  
  
He woke up early, checking her forehead to make sure she wasn't running a fever and changing the wet fabric. When she stirred a little, he grabbed his stuff and went to the front again. He heard the telltale rumbling when Dogmeat came flying around the corner, barking wildly and going after the molerats. He let Dogmeat handle the bloody ROUS's as he went to check the concession stand. He was glad he had checked it when he found the traps, disarming them carefully. When Dogmeat's barks had calmed down, he popped his head out to see how it was going. Laughing when he saw the dog dragging his prize over. He got the cold spit outside going and put the molerat on for the eager dog.  
  
'Rat kabob coming up.'  
  
Dogmeat barked happily and was off like a shot, chasing another molerat across the lot, Chuckling, he went back to the stand to finish searching, he had just moved up to the projector booth when he heard her yell.  
  
'Hello? Hellllo? I just wanted to thank you for your help.'  
  
He could hear the pounding as she ran down the stairs and across the lot, the door of the stand opening as he tried to slip out the upper door and around the ledge as quietly as possible. He was grinning, happy she was up but wasn't quite ready to face her. He slipped down the broken awning and dashed across and up onto the rocky ledge, squatting down, carefully watching her over the rocks.  
  
He hung back but was closer than he had allowed himself before, shadowing her all the way back to Concord. He ran ahead to the Red Rocket, leaving a few more flowers for her and using the vending machines to climb up to the roof. Watching as she returned back to Sanctuary.  
  
-

(Through Glass - Stone Sour)

  
He had been so happy and worried and baffled to see her at first that he had fallen out of his chair, he hadn't even thought to check the vault afterwards. He watched her from up on the hill, hugging and talking with the Mr Handy and going through the houses quickly. Once they were done and appeared to be settling for the night he went down, holing up in one of the houses nearby. He could just make out the sound of her voice as she sang to the stars and felt his heart clench.  
When she set out, he worried about her being on her own, so he told Dogmeat to go and watch out for her. He missed his friend but knew she was in good hands...paws, whatever.  
Then the mess in Concord, he had been lagging behind a bit and got there in time to see her duck into the museum with a swath of bodies left behind her. So he hid on the nearby rooftops and waited for her to emerge. He did not expect her to come out and get into a power suit and go after the other idiot raiders. And facing down a deathclaw. He had more than a few choice words and was more than a little impressed when she beat the ever living shit out of it, he was downright proud. She brought the people back to the little suburb and set them up, so very much like her, taking care of everyone. He had watched as they buried the bodies and even the skeletons, watched her sobbing, but hadn't dared to check out the small cemetery yet.  
She had almost made him on her way to the Abernathy's farm the next day and he did the only thing he could think to do, giving Dogmeat a flower to distract her as he popped a stealth boy and circled around so she wouldn't walk right into him. Damn woman had some kind of 6th sense. Then he couldn't stop the snort when she called out cheekily and sang, knowing she was being followed. When she went on and sang so softly and sadly, the quote popped in his head, 'Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.' (Percy Shelley)...and he knew he would follow her to hell and back.  
  
-  
  
As she ran for the bridge, he waited and once the coast was clear he made for the vault, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He wondered if he was finally going crazy and projecting what he wanted to see on to some poor woman, but there was no mistaking her, even if she was going by a different name. Could she be a synth?  
He hoped that the noise could not be heard from Sanctuary as the elevator creaked and groaned, dropping to a crouch at the bottom, not sure what to expect. It was quiet, so very quiet. There were skeletons at the entrance and he did a quick run through with a stealth boy. Once he was certain he was alone, he took his time to investigate and after reading the overseers terminal, he walked through the hallways in a rage.  
  
_Those bastards, who gave them the fucking right to do whatever they wanted?_  
  
This wasn't the first vault he had been to and after so many years this wasn't the first time he was outraged with what they had done, he was very familiar with the sick things Vault-Tec did in the name of science. Entering the first room, his anger only grew as he read the terminal. All the people dead. All the bodies he had seen her bury.  
He wanted to stop, he wanted to beat the infernal machines into tiny bits until there was no reminder left...but there was another room and he had to finish.  
He made a choked noise as he read the final terminal.

 _Pod C6: Nate and Shaun (infant)_  
_Occupant status: Unknown. -- Pod Door Manual Override Engaged/Remote Override Engaged._

 _Pod C7: Nora_  
_Occupant status: Unknown. -- Pod Door Manual Override Engaged/Remote Override Engaged_

  
He had always thought she hated the name Nora...and there's Nate...and a child. Things made a bit more sense, at least the how, but he had only seen her since she emerged from the vault and he frowned, wondering where they were.  
  
When he had first found the list of vaults all those years ago, he had never realised that they would hit this close to home, so many years and miles away. He didn't really know what to expect of the vault and had just been keeping an eye on it, chasing rumours. He no longer had a pipboy and wasn't able to get in, so he sat and waited. It was pure chance or fate or whatever you want to call it that he had swung by and was sitting there right then.  
He wiped a stray tear, it had been so long he wasn't even sure if he was capable of crying anymore, but as usual, the universe had to prove him wrong.  
After exiting the vault he went down, waiting till the darkness started to creep up, walking down by the creek until he was behind her house. He had to shush Dogmeat as he came over for a pet, nudging him in the leg. He gave him a pat and shooed him along before he drew any attention, staying hidden behind the dried out shrubs.  
His head was still swimming with all the new information, pushing it down to deal with at a later date.  
She had talked with the others that she had brought back, but he saw her enter the kitchen after a while and she poured herself a drink and started singing. She was always singing. Then the Mr Handy started singing with her and he almost laughed, then she grabbed it's claw and started dancing with it. He had to stuff a fist in his mouth to stop any noise from coming out. It was utterly ridiculous looking, but he had to smile because it was the happiest he had seen her thus far.  
After the song finished, he was bit sad when they stopped dancing and she went back and poured herself another drink. When she looked out the window at the backyard, his heart stopped. There was no way she could see him, but she paused with her drink halfway up to her mouth and just stared out.  
  
(Peeping Tom - Jamie Berry & Rosie Harte)  
  
He didn't know what she was thinking of, but he shuddered, watching her tongue swipe over her lower lip. He felt like he was intruding in a personal moment, she was so lost in thought, but he couldn't look away. She was so close, just right there, and it had been so very long. His heart ached and he could feel his pants grow uncomfortable as she closed her eyes. It was not hard to tell where her thoughts had drifted. He reached down, adjusting himself. He let out a soft groan as she pulled her top and bra off and left the window. He had to move away from the house, going back down by the creek, before someone could hear him.  
His face was flaming in the darkness as he pulled himself together. The last time he remembered being that horny and awkward, he was a teenager.  
  
_It's been way too long. Sorry, Deuce...even though I know you would find it hilarious._  
  
He waited till the one called Preston, the Minuteman, went around and snuck to her window, peeking at her sleeping form. He blew a little kiss at the window and took off. He needed to get things sorted out and calm himself down. He knew she was in good hands with Dogmeat and hoped that she could keep herself out of trouble with the humans.  
He went back around the houses and towards the little graveyard. He raised his rifle as he walked through, the night vision scope allowing him to glance at the freshly turned graves and the headstones they had made. She'd already placed flowers on each and he tried to remember which one it was she cried beside.  
He knew instantly when he saw the headstone, dropping his rifle, lucky that it landed in the soft dirt with barely a thud.  
  
(Without You Here - The Goo Goo Dolls)  
  
He sat down next to the headstone, rubbing his hand over it tenderly. The tears welled up, but he didn't cry. He had grieved years before, this was just confirmation of something he had accepted long ago. Nate was gone, but she was still here.  
He looked around once more but did not see a grave marked Shaun. Frowning and adding that to the list of growing mysteries.  
He waited until the Minuteman went around again and ran for the bridge. He went to the turrets she had made, hidden with the help of another stealth boy, and let out the breath he was holding when they did not start tracking him. He turned and looked at the little suburb and knew things were going to change, running off into the night.


	5. Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes longer than Quinn wants to recover from the gunshot, but she gets better and makes her way to Diamond City.

Quinn ended up staying home longer than planned. She had hoped to set out the next day, but between her blisters, sore muscles, lingering weakness from being shot, and finding out which foods her stomach could and could not handle...she knew she couldn't go out just yet. It didn't help that reality had started to sink in and she could barely drag herself out of bed in the mornings.  
  
_How could my baby survive out there? Is this just going to be some horrible long goose hunt where I end up disappointed at the end? If I can't find him...I don't...what's the point? I'm a nobody. I should just go lie down with Nate. All I ever wanted was to try help people and live out my days with my love and our children._  
  
But she'd eventually get up and work on whatever random task the day called for. Quinn had been repairing holes in the roof and patching walls on her house. When she was done with that she started on the others. The home she had originally set everyone up in became the community/bunk room. Sturges, Preston, and Mama Murphy stayed there, building a couple bunk beds in case we got more settlers. Mama Murphy had declined the offer of a home of her own, stating that an old woman didn't need that much space. So she could often be found helping Codsworth with the cooking or the Longs with the crops. The Longs set themselves up in a house down in the cul-de-sac and mostly kept to themselves.  
  
Quinn decided to entrust Sturges and Preston with the combination to her safe, so they could access the binder if needed. Sturges had gone up to the Vault and started breaking down some of the stuff on the outside. The cars and trailers and random crates. Sturges had found a notebook and some pencils in one of the shipping crates and blushed when he gave them to Quinn and she planted a big ol' kiss on him. It wasn't a large notebook, so she couldn't easily make copies of the plans, but she was able to make her lists now and her mood started to improve. In the evenings Quinn, Preston, and Sturges would sit around her patio table with a lantern and plan out what other projects they wanted to complete.  
  
Towards the end of the week, she was starting to feel better and they had a good outline of the things to do next. Preston was going to finish beefing up the defences until he ran out of materials, then he would help get more crops going. He gave her a list of things to look for in Diamond City and said that he could build a recruitment radio and see about getting a few more settlers.  
Sturges was going to continue breaking down the vault outer area and then move to the inner area, but he once again expressed his desire to get a water tower going so they had a larger volume of clean water at any given time and planned on working on that if he could get enough material from the vault. Quinn had also been ecstatic when he had come from checking out the vault and said that he could probably rig a water heater and running water in the house with the bath, using parts from the vault, once they had some generators and the water tower built. So he also had a shopping list for her and they made a tentative sketch of making that house the bath house with some tubs and showers. They'd have to wash their clothes in one of the tubs for now, but Sturges said at some point he could look at fixing a washer and dryer.  
Quinn was so happy she had planted another big smooch on him, making him blush, Preston laughing at them. She knew it made him blush and so she had started teasing him gently and when he didn't mind it, she did it even more. She found both the men attractive, but it wasn't really that way with them, they were good friends and they had fallen into this comfortable companionship of teasing and helping each other. She felt less reserved than she ever used to be. It used to take a while for her to warm up to someone she didn't know well, but they were both really good guys and Quinn knew she could go out on a run and not come back.  
Preston was teaching her about the new world and helping her practice with the different weapons they found. In return, she taught him about modifications for weapons and armour and what she knew about defence systems. He had already gotten the hang of building some basic turrets and had built a couple guard posts by the bridge so anyone crossing it had to come through them.  
Sturges was constantly checking on her, making sure she was taking care of her injuries and that she was eating. She had already lost a noticeable amount of weight after they had found out that molerat made her vomit violently. Quinn helped him learn how to read the schematics so he could eventually build some of the more complicated things like a fusion generator. She promised that if she could find some large sheet paper she'd help him copy the existing plans and how to draw up new schematics.  
  
After a week and a half, Quinn couldn't take anymore and told them she was going to set out for Diamond City the next day. They helped her prepare items for trade and loaded her up with food and water, both of them waking up in the morning to give her hugs as she set out again.  
  
-  
  
Quinn had on another bright blue vault suit, she'd never admit it aloud, but it was kind of growing on her. Since she'd lost a little weight she didn't feel as squashed and it was a bit more comfortable in the heat than jeans. Plus she was able to wear her random leather armour pieces over it, a bag on her back, a pistol strapped to her thigh. Her white hair was tucked underneath the Minutemen hat she wore and to complete the vault dweller chic, she had her pipboy strapped to her wrist, lightly playing a tune that she whistled along with, Dogmeat trotting at her side.  
  
(The Walker - Fitz and the Tantrums)  
  
The sun was out and she was in a surprisingly good mood. She was making decent time and decided to follow the railroad tracks she had seen near the Corvega factory. She hadn't run into anything serious, but she made sure to keep a close eye out. Didn't need to get caught unaware like she had been before, it was too painful.  
She ran into some mutts and some feral ghouls, she'd even seen another power suit. But, she didn't have a power core with her and she didn't feel like using it to tromp to Diamond City. So she ended up leaving it, marking the location in her pip-boy so she could swing back later.  
At one point her pip-boy beeped at her like she had a notification, but she couldn't figure out what it was trying to indicate, so she just continued on.  
  
_I wonder if I can find an instruction manual or something._  
  
As she crested the hill and started down, she saw the greenhouse off to the side, several Mr Handy's working away. She approached cautiously, the catch free on her holster, but trying to remain as neutral feeling as possible. The Mr Handy's ignored her for the most part when one, sounding like an old game show host came over, checking to see if she wanted to trade.  
  
'Um, sure?'  
  
The bot had some supplies but nothing she needed immediately, so she left him for the time being, following the sound of another voice. Dogmeat found a shady spot and lay down in the dirt, waiting for her to finish.  
It ended up being two other voices. The bot she had already talked with, turned out to be Supervisor Greene. There was also Supervisor Brown and Supervisor White. Brown offered to buy produce from her when she had it and White seemed to be the bot in charge.  
Trying not to snicker at the very...grandiose personalities of the bots, she spoke with Supervisor White and agreed to help. She might not be able to get to it immediately, but at least she had it noted in her pip-boy and the new location marked. It was the opposite direction of where she had been planning on heading, so she figured she could hit it on her way back from Diamond City if all went well.  
  
-  
  
There was a trestle bridge going across the river and Quinn took the time to pause, sitting on the edge as she ate a quick lunch of mutfruit, potato crisps, and water. Tossing Dogmeat some crisps. Codsworth had also packed her a Nuka-Cherry and a can of dog food for Dogmeat, but she decided to save those for later. If the pup got hungry she could always find him more bugs to crunch or something.  
Closing her eyes, she could almost imagine she was at one of the many little cafes that used to be scattered along the river.  
  
She pressed forward, having to jump up, balancing carefully on the edge to get around the train cars. Dogmeat was just barely able to squish underneath and meet her on the ground. She thought about checking out the old brewery, Nate had gone once, but she figured that could be saved for later. Quinn took a moment to look at her pip-boy, deciding to go just a bit further south before cutting towards Diamond City.  
After a few more mutts and one raider, she found herself wandering towards an old railway station. She saw the two women working on some tatos and approached cautiously.  
  
'Hi there, I've been walking for a while and I was wondering if I could get some water for my dog?'  
  
The one woman eyed her a bit suspiciously, but the younger of the two waved her towards the pump.  
  
'That's fine, but we're not looking for any kind of trouble.'  
  
'Oh, thank you. I won't be any kind of trouble, I'm just trying to make my way towards Diamond City. Thank you very much.'  
  
Quinn pulled a bowl out of her pack and went to the water pump, getting some and setting the bowl down for a happy Dogmeat. She stood there trying to appear as benign as possible.  
  
'Can I ask you a question?' The younger woman stopped working and wandered closer.  
  
'Sure, what's up?'  
  
She pointed to Quinn's hat, 'Are you with the Minutemen?'  
  
'Yup, that's right, we're back and doing what we can.'  
  
(Get Together - The Youngbloods)  
  
The older of the two spoke up for the first time, wandering over, 'Really? We...we, uh, have been having a bit of a raider problem lately. Would you be able to help?'  
  
Quinn gave her a reassuring smile, 'That's what we're here for, what can you tell me about the raiders?'  
  
The two, sisters she found out, pointed out where the raiders were coming from.  
  
Back Street Apparel...huh, that was where Nate's mum had taken her to get some dresses and suits once. One of the few times the older woman had felt somewhat...human. She had never really hit it off with Nate's mother. The older woman did not feel that she was a good fit to their important lineage, the Boston Roberts'. Margaret had already been mad at Nate for joining the Army, then when he came home after his injury and started seeing some Army brat, she was not particularly happy. She was the reason that Quinn had gotten the job at the DAs office, old family connections and all that. When she was told she had an interview, Margaret insisted on taking her to get a 'suitable wardrobe, so you don't embarrass the family'. She had started to soften after Shaun had been born and Quinn had felt she was finally winning the woman over. She hoped that Margaret and Richard, Nate's dad, had not suffered.  
  
She realised one of the sisters had said something and was waiting for an answer, 'Sorry, I was a million miles away remembering something.'  
  
'Oh, I was just saying that we would really appreciate it if you could take care of the raiders and we'd join up with the Minutemen if you could.'  
  
'Oh, yes, of course. I have to go to Diamond City, but I should be able to go by there first and take care of them. I'll plan on doing that, but it might be a little bit before I swing back this way. So, if you don't hear back from me immediately, then don't worry.' She smiled at the women again, gathering Dogmeat's bowl. 'I'll start heading that way and see if I can't take care of them tomorrow.'  
  
'Thank you so much. It's hard enough making it out here, but then when raiders come demanding food...it's just not right.'  
  
Quinn nodded, agreeing. She had always hated bullies, having spent so many of her early years being harassed by them. Because of her dad being in the Army, she was perpetually the new kid, and being short and fat and constantly hidden in a book didn't help. She started marching south again, blinking back tears. Nate, Aidan, Roger, Dad...they had made it home and she missed them desperately.  
  
-  
  
She flagged down a man she saw walking along the tracks, his brahmin was heavy with goods and she figured he might know the best way to Diamond City.  
  
'Hey there, are you a trader?'  
  
'Yup just came from Vault 81, so I have a bunch of new stuff if you want to take a look.'  
  
'Vault 81?'  
  
'Yeah, where are you from?' He gestured to her vault suit.  
  
'Oh, I'm from Vault 111.'  
  
'Vault 111? Haven't heard of that one, anything worth checking out?'  
  
'Nah, it's abandoned now. So Vault 81 does trading? Can you point me in the right direction and can you tell me the best way to get to Diamond City?'  
  
'Yeah, sure.' His eyes widened a bit when she brought her pip-boy up, but pointed the location out on the map for her. 'Here's where 81 is, now to get to Diamond City, there are a couple different ways you can go. If you go this way, up around the pond there's a bunch of bugs and a chance of running into some raiders or super mutants. If you go this way, the most direct route, then you'll for sure see some super mutants. I recommend this way, it will take a little longer and there are some raiders in Hangman's Alley that you have to watch out for, but then it's pretty much a straight shot to the gate and the Diamond City Security usually keep it pretty clear.'  
  
The last way he pointed out also happened to go in the general direction of Back Street Apparel, perfect. She poked through his wares and grabbed some more munchies, a can of dog food, and a bit more ammo. Her pack now empty of trade goods expect the gold bars Sturges told her to bring to Diamond City.  
  
'Thank you so much for your assistance, if things ever get rough for ya, just holler for the Minutemen.' She tipped her hat and winked at him, tossing a piece of brahmin jerky to Dogmeat.  
  
'Minutemen? You're back, huh? I had thought they were all gone after Quincy.'  
  
'Yup, we're back, if ya don't mind spreading the word to any settlements you may visit, I'd be appreciative.'  
  
'Yeah, yeah, who should I tell them to ask for?'  
  
'I'm the General, Quinn, I'll be out and about and they can always send word to Colonel Garvey in Sanctuary.'  
  
The man sized her up, eyebrow raising, 'General, eh? Well, it was a pleasure, maybe I'll swing by this Sanctuary. See you on the road.'  
  
She gave him a wave and started out for Vault 81, curious as to what a functioning vault was like.  
  
-  
  
She didn't end up getting in Vault 81 that day. Once she had reached it and tried to get in, some security guy had stopped the door from opening and after talking with the Overseer on the radio, she needed to get some fusion cores before they'd let her in.  
  
_Makes sense, everything is give and take that I've seen._  
  
She poked around in the sheds surrounding the entrance and snagged what she could. Laughing at herself a little bit, if it's not someone's property or not nailed down, it's mine now.  
Quinn went north from the vault and followed the road that would take her back down by the river.  
  
She could tell she was approaching Hangman's Alley when she could hear the yelling and gunshots, she was fully prepared to just run past it but then a raider came flying out, yelling at someone behind him. He spotted her and ran back in, yelling at the others.  
  
_God damn it...I need to work on my ninja skills._  
  
Quinn pulled out her pistol and crouched down at the entrance to the alley, taking a couple deep breaths. As soon as she saw the head peek out of the door frame, she started shooting. After the second guy was down she started forward with Dogmeat at her side, looking through the door.  
There were several shacks, lots of blind corners and places to hide.  
  
'Fuck. Dogmeat, get 'em.'  
  
(Scum - Depeche Mode)  
  
She followed behind the dog, taking whatever cover she could and shooting the raiders once Dogmeat got a hold of them.  
It felt like it took forever and she had a bloody nose from taking the end of a bat to the face, but it had probably only taken 15 minutes to clear the alley.  
It was late afternoon and she was done, she was tired and aching and wished for a hot shower.  
Sighing, she pulled out Dogmeat's bowl and give him a can of food.  
  
'Yes, here you go, Who's my fluffy torpedo? Such a good boy.'  
  
While Dogmeat ate, she took the time to get anything useful off the raiders, drag the bodies out and toss them in a nearby dumpster. She broke down some of the shacks that were falling apart, blocked off the doors so she would be somewhat protected for the night, and built a water pump. After rinsing the blood off of herself and Dogmeat, she allowed herself to relax a little. She made a dinner of Instamash, brahmin jerky, and her Nuka-Cherry.  
Unfortunately, the Nuka-Cherry left her practically vibrating, so she took some time to rig up some lights and kept cleaning up the alleyway. By the time Quinn was sure she couldn't move anymore, the only shack standing was the one on stilts that had a bed set up in it. Groaning she found a corner to use as her bathroom and then went back to the shack, sitting on the bed and expressing milk into a random shirt from her bag. She collapsed on the bed and looked at the pip-boy, it was almost midnight.  
  
_Ugh, should have saved the Nuka-Cherry for morning. Okay, let's see. Tomorrow need to:_  
_Clear the raiders from Back Street Apparel_  
_Get to Diamond City and do some trading_  
_Maybe ask around for someone that knows about missing persons...hmmm._  
  
_I have no clue what I'm looking for. What was it Mama Murphy said....'You find that heart that's gonna lead you to your boy. Oh, it's... it's bright. So bright against the dark alleys it walks. That's... that's what you need to do, kid. Follow the signs to the bright heart.'_  
  
_Looks like I get to wander some more alleys._  
  
Preston had been upset with Mama Murphy, asking her where she got more chems from, but she said she saw that one in a dream.  
  
_Chasing dreams or drug induced hallucinations, killing people, trying to build settlements out of scrap. Can't say I don't live an interesting life now. To think the last thing I was worried about before the end of the world was whether or not I was going to need a sweater to go to the park._  
  
She sighed and thought about getting up to write stuff down, but threw an arm over her head, not protesting when Dogmeat jumped up to lie across her feet. Eventually, she drifted off and dreamt of wandering alleyways, chasing a glowing heart while a baby cried in the background.  
  
-  
  
Quinn screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing the raiders shotgun off the floor and blew the turret to bits. She was getting tired of turrets already today.  
  
She had woken up later than she had wanted and cleaned up quick and made for Back Street Apparel. In her haste she forgot to eat and take care of her chest, now her stomach was grumbling, her chest was leaking and her face hurt, certain she had black eyes from taking the bat to the face yesterday.  
She had dealt with the raiders outside with minimal fuss, the turrets taking a bit longer, not wanting to get shot again.  
With Dogmeat at her side, they snuck in successfully and took care of the raiders at the back. But Quinn missed the tripwire and had to fling herself backwards as the grenades went off. She started crying when she had to stimpack Dogmeat, beyond pissed that he had been hurt. Telling him to stay at the entrance as she pressed forward. She didn't want him hurt and she didn't want anyone coming in and sneaking up on her.  
She found another tripwire on the other side of the counter and dealt with it and some more grenades when she rounded the corner and was immediately faced with another turret.  
  
She ended up using her first grenade, it was effective, but she didn't like it...they made her too nervous. After taking care of all the raiders, she took her time working through the building. She even had a beer on the rooftop couch that the raiders had left there. She went back in, realising she needed to eat and take care of her chest, looking down and sighing. And change too. After she was sorted out, she finished her scavenging. It took some time to crack the safe inside, but it gave her a fair amount of caps and she found an issue of Grognak that made her chuckle.  
  
_Still have some comics around, well this is coming home with me._  
  
She even found a giant pair of sunglasses that she ended up putting on to hide her black eyes. After giving Dogmeat some water and a couple pieces of jerky, her bag once again loaded with things to trade, Quinn set out for Diamond City.  
  
Wandering down the road she had to start laughing when it came to her...  
  
_Diamond City...I must be getting slow that it took this long to make the connection._  
  
She looked at the looming walls of Fenway park. Her smile faded a little, remembering the last time she had been here.  
She had been fighting with Nate. It wasn't long after their wedding and Nate was doubting their relationship. That had happened before and they had broken up and were miserable. She wasn't about to let him doubt himself again, so she planned a big day for him, taking him to an early game. They went back to their new home and they were both a little tipsy from the beers at the stadium, so they decided to go for an evening walk. They had ended up having sex in the little park by the suburb and Shaun was born nine months later. She had thought things were going to go great after that. They were happy, Shaun was good, Nate's mum was even being nice. Then the apocalypse had to happen. She frowned, Dogmeat nosing her hand and continued on.  
  
There were some defences set up and signs pointing the way, in the distance, she could see a guard wandering around in baseball gear and carrying a bat as he patrolled the area. She ran past a side street where she saw what could only be Super Mutants, not ready to deal with that. The guard she saw waved her on as she approached the entrance.  
  
She heard the woman before she could see her, rounding the corner and watching the pretty brunette yell at the security box. She stood back, letting it play out, till the lady called Piper noticed her.  
  
_Oh, this is going to be interesting._


End file.
